American Military News by Ryan Morgan February 07, 2020
A commercial phone database that collects consumer location data is now serving as a powerful tool for immigration and border enforcement officials for tracking down illegal immigrants crossing the border into the U.S.
President Donald Trump’s administration has purchased access to the bulk cell phone data and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has already used the information to detect border crossings, according to officials and documents provided to the Wall Street Journal.
The cell phone data draws from apps that phone users have allowed to record their locations. Those apps range from games, weather apps, GPS and e-commerce apps that log user locations. The Trump administration reportedly began purchasing the data in 2017 from Venntel Inc. of Herndon, Va., which is tied to the major mobile advertiser Gravy Analytics.
The DHS has reportedly seen successful immigration arrests as a result of this phone data. The DHS confirmed the data purchases but would not further discuss how they were using the information.
Officials who spoke to the Wall Street Journal separately indicated they were able to plan arrests after detecting cell phone activity in otherwise unusual places, such as remote stretches of desert along the U.S.-Mexico border. They suggested the data helped generate investigative leads and track the position of migrant groups headed towards the U.S.
More:
https://americanmilitarynews.com/2020/02/trump-admin-using-commercial-phone-database-to-track-illegal-border-crossings-wsj/
