FBI Finally Admits To Buying Location Data on Americans, Horrifying Experts

[ruet]

Source: Ars Technica

At a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing yesterday, FBI Director Christopher Wray confirmed for the first time that the agency has in the past purchased the location data of US citizens without obtaining a warrant, Wired reported.

This revelation, which has alarmed privacy advocates, came after Sen. Ron Wyden (D–Ore.) asked Wray directly, “Does the FBI purchase US phone-geolocation information?” Wray’s response tiptoed around the question but provided a rare insight into how the FBI has used location data to surveil Americans without any court oversight.

“To my knowledge, we do not currently purchase commercial database information that includes location data derived from Internet advertising,” Wray said. “I understand that we previously—as in the past—purchased some such information for a specific national security pilot project. But that’s not been active for some time.”

Americans are protected against unreasonable searches under the Fourth Amendment, and the Supreme Court has said that government agencies accessing location data without a warrant can be considered in violation of Fourth Amendment rights. But privacy advocates like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) have continually found evidence that federal agencies, including the FBI, have relied on a legal loophole to continue purchasing location data that agencies otherwise may not legally be able to access.

Read more: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/03/fbi-finally-admits-to-buying-location-data-on-americans-horrifying-experts/

[DENVERPOPS]

1. I wouldn't trust a thing....

that Director Wray says, even under oath. I am of the opinion that the day Biden took office, Wray and several others should have been shit canned on the spot. Another is DeJoy, the list could go on and on...........

[sybylla]

3. +1

[onecaliberal]

8. THIS.

[Samrob]

16. I said that two days after Biden was confirmed as winner. Trump FBI carried this out I am sure. nt

[Rebl2]

18. Agree

[Historic NY]

2. LOL the information on every phone is available..

[link:https://datarade.ai]

https://datarade.ai/data-categories/geospatial-data]

It's exploited everyday by hundreds of companies. You carry a tracking device, you didn't think investigative agents would exploit it.

[sybylla]

4. Broken link.

"Page you requested couldn't be found."

[progressoid]

13. Works for me

https://datarade.ai/data-categories/geospatial-data

[Grins]

9. Yes! FBI is just doing what everyone else can do or does.

[Pinback]

11. The Electronic Frontier Foundation offers guidance for resisting surveillance

https://ssd.eff.org/module-categories/security-scenarios

Or you can just throw up your hands and make no effort to secure your data and privacy. Your choice.

[appmanga]

20. Hear, hear!

[reACTIONary]

24. Exactly. nt.

[AllaN01Bear]

5. how many times do we have to tell u , no is NO

[cstanleytech]

6. I think I read somewhere that they will also get other countries law enforcement and intelligence

agencies to do the work to skirt past the need to go through the US Courts.

[Grammy23]

7. So they weren't kidding when they said

Big Brother is watching you. 👀 👁️ 👀

[BWdem4life]

19. Orwell never guessed

that we would willingly carry our own tracking devices, feeling like we couldn't live without them.

[DENVERPOPS]

27. Orwell got most things right

except for the biggest one, and that is he thought it was the government we should beware, and as it turns out, in most cases, it is the CORPORATIONS that are the truest offenders.......

[BWdem4life]

28. Getting hard to tell the difference between the two. nt

[DENVERPOPS]

32. If you look in a dictionary

the simplest definition of FASCISM is the merging of Government and Corporations...........

And we are 99.9% there already................

[republianmushroom]

10. Ethics and integrity

The FBI has come a long ways.

[KS Toronado]

12. "agency has in the past purchased the location data"

Why didn't he just come out and say "Under Тяцмp we did" instead of "in the past" ?

[onecaliberal]

14. So where are the suits filed to protect individuals 4th amendment rights?

[Mr.Bill]

15. You do give up a certain amount of what we used to call privacy

with your phone and going on the internet. If I started a thread or even posted about, say, mid-century modern furniture, I would begin to see pop-up ads and Emails from Wayfair (who I have purchased things from) about discounted mid-century modern furniture.

[ruet]

21. Through Contractual Agreement, No?

I have no such agreement with the state government or its law enforcement apparatus.

[Mr.Bill]

22. You know what they say, sometimes

if you are using a website that does not charge for their product, you are their product.

[LittleGirl]

29. Clear your cookies often. nt

[Mr.Bill]

30. I could do that more often.

But to be honest, I don't mind companies I buy things from knowing what I want and discounting it. I hardly ever go on a website, pick something out and buy it immediately. I browse it multiple times and browse similar items on other websites. In a few days, often discounts will start showing up. Wayfair is especially good at doing this. Obviously, I'm not talking about small stuff, but things over, say, $100.

[DENVERPOPS]

33. Amazon is the worst

Amazon has trained everyone to go to their website and buy from them.

I go to Amazon to research what I want, then I google the item to see who is also selling the item, most times for less, a lot of times for lots less.

I found a ladder I wanted on Amazon. I found the one I wanted, which Amazon was selling for 125 bucks. I went out on the internet and found that the manufacturer was selling it for 75 bucks, with free shipping.......

Now, I do not buy through Amazon until I have done a search of other sellers.....I would say that 75% of the time I order from someone other than Amazon, because their prices are typically higher and much higher......

[FakeNoose]

17. How does the FBI find out people's cellphone numbers?

There's no central database for finding email addresses or cell numbers. If the FBI is finding criminals and fugitives by commercial databases, IOW the cell directories, they need to know their cell numbers. Criminals can just use burner phones and never be located unless they give out the number indiscriminately.

[Mr.Bill]

23. If junk phone callers can find your number,

I'm sure the FBI can.

[reACTIONary]

25. Do a public record search... Use your own name...

... You will find your phone number, and actually, phone numbers going way back.

[Ford_Prefect]

26. So who else has been buying that data???

[DENVERPOPS]

34. Take Walgreens for example

They have been caught I believe three times selling all your Rx info to anyone who wants to buy it and is making a fortune off of selling it, even though it is illegal......Check it out if you don't believe me

Every time they were caught, the were fined a pittance of what they made in selling the info........

Any health insurance company would pay a fortune to have access to you prescription information before setting your rate for their insurance, or even denying you coverage for some phony reason.

There are a ton of Corporations that would pay big money for that info, and have!!!!!!!!!

We have become a population of: NO MORE SECRETS and it is not the government we have to fear, it is the Corporations......

We are a millimeter away from a: Corporate Fascist Tyranny.............replacing our Democracy and Constitution.....

[Kennah]

31. How is this news?

[Ford_Prefect]

35. What precisely makes you think it is not?

[Kennah]

36. I thought everyone knew they were buying phone data for years

[Ford_Prefect]

37. Evidently that truth had not percolated to our more remote districts.

[Kennah]

38. Fair point