When reading this story the first question that pops of course is whether the use of this app is violating 4th Amendment rights. The use of an app called Locate X is a basic software program designed to track cell phone usage by law enforcement agencies by a method known as “geo-spacing” which doesn’t necessary track individual data per say, but the cell phones themselves that are in a particular area at a given time. According to some law enforcement official, its basically a lead generator and is used specifically for investigating terrorist activity. For example, if a bombing occurred at a particular place what law enforcement investigators can do is use the data to find out what cell phones were in the vincinity at the time and track their movements going back days, weeks and months. If such investigations turns up that a cell phone came from Saudi Arabia then investigators can determine and narrow down their leads as to who was responsible. The linked article that published this story revealed that a Virginia based company called Babel has sold millions of dollars in contracts with US law enforcement agencies including recently by CBP. So the question that needs to be asked, given the issue of FISA so hot on everybody’s minds as the renewal of its policies is a contentious subject of debate with the public, does this violate 4th amendment rights, or does this set precedent for future abuses to occur?
U.S. law enforcement agencies signed millions of dollars worth of contracts with a Virginia company after it rolled out a powerful tool that uses data from popular mobile apps to track the movement of people’s cell phones, according to federal contracting records and six people familiar with the software.
The product, called Locate X and sold by Babel Street, allows investigators to draw a digital fence around an address or area, pinpoint mobile devices that were within that area, and see where else those devices have traveled, going back months, the sources told Protocol.
They said the tool tracks the location of devices anonymously, using data that popular cell phone apps collect to enable features like mapping or targeted ads, or simply to sell it on to data brokers.
Through apps, not warrants, ‘Locate X’ allows federal law enforcement to track phones
Federal agencies have big contracts with Virginia-based Babel Street. Depending on where you’ve traveled, your movements may be in the company’s data.
U.S. law enforcement agencies signed millions of dollars worth of contracts with a Virginia company after it rolled out a powerful tool that uses data from popular mobile apps to track the movement of people’s cell phones, according to federal contracting records and six people familiar with the software.
The product, called Locate X and sold by Babel Street, allows investigators to draw a digital fence around an address or area, pinpoint mobile devices that were within that area, and see where else those devices have traveled, going back months, the sources told Protocol.
They said the tool tracks the location of devices anonymously, using data that popular cell phone apps collect to enable features like mapping or targeted ads, or simply to sell it on to data brokers.
Babel Street has kept Locate X a secret, not mentioning it in public-facing marketing materials and stipulating in federal contracts that even the existence of the data is “confidential information.” Locate X must be “used for internal research purposes only,” according to terms of use distributed to agencies, and law enforcement authorities are forbidden from using the technology as evidence — or mentioning it at all — in legal proceedings.
Federal records show that U.S. Customs and Border Protection purchased Locate X, and the Secret Service and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement also use the location-tracking technology, according to a former Babel Street employee. Numerous other government agencies have active contracts with Reston-based Babel Street, records show, but publicly available contract information does not specify whether other agencies besides CBP bought Locate X or other products and services offered by the company.
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