Police have used “Fog Reveal” to search hundreds of billions of records from 250 million mobile devices, and harnessed the data to create location analyses known among law enforcement as “patterns of life,” according to thousands of pages of records about the company.
“Local law enforcement is at the front lines of trafficking and missing persons cases, yet these departments are often behind in technology adoption,” Matthew Broderick, a Fog managing partner, said in an email. “We fill a gap for underfunded and understaffed departments.” While Greensboro officials acknowledged Fog’s use and initially defended it, the police department said it allowed its subscription to expire earlier this year because it didn’t “independently benefit investigations.”
You might know that your cellphone has a unique code that allows advertisers to target you for promotions. What you may not know: That same number could be helping police surveil you without a warrant. Metcalf also leads the National Child Protection Task Force, a nonprofit that combats child exploitation and trafficking. Fogas a task force sponsor and a company executive chairs the nonprofit’s board. Metcalf said Fog has been invaluable to cracking missing children cases and homicides.
“We’re seeing counties with less than 100,000 people where the sheriff is using this extremely high tech, extremely invasive, secretive surveillance tool to chase down local crime,” Cyphers said. “Because it would then be less effective as criminals could be cognizant that we have the device and adjust their commission of the crimes accordingly. Make sense?” Suthard said.
While the data does not directly identify who owns a device, the company often gives law enforcement information it needs to connect it to addresses and other clues that help detectives figure out people’s identities, according to company representatives’ emails. While Fog says in its marketing materials that it collects data from thousands of apps, like Starbucks and Waze, companies are not always aware of who is using their data. Venntel and Fog can collect billions of data points filled with detailed information because many apps embed invisible tracking software that follows users’ behavior. This software also lets the apps sell customized ads that are targeted to a person’s current location.
It does intrigue me the number of Leftists who suddenly don’t care about privacy or cooperate malfeasance
Well…. Get faraday pouches and burner phones. Use Threema, and occasionally just to fuck with the system hand the old burners to bums just to have government agents run around and waste time an resources…. In the future I mean
Interesting. 2nd different article on this type in leas than a week. Hmm
Way too many people in here happy with even more privacy loss to an increasingly militaristic police state.
talkbizness Almost like Google or somethin
talkbizness EVEN IF YOU DIDN'T GET THE JAB Bahahahahaha
Pretty boring to track me, Home to work is about it
FUCK da police
Like buying a monthly subscription for the unknown Antichrist to track the great grandkids devotion with accuracy.
theperezhilton
Patriot Act your elected officials keep approving this bill?
The FBI should cease and desist.
MayorBMScott ?
Privacy is an illusion, regrettably. Beyond that, at minimum, law enforcement should follow the laws that they are constitutionally required to enforce.
..you don't want who (trump),because want creat false impression!
Batman vibes. But, there's an easy solution around it tho. Stop having your cellphone on you. No gadgets in the room you do the most talking. I'm about to buy a flip phone.
The surveillance state is slowly revealing itself. The data should be shared with Defense attorneys under Brady. According to SCOTUS they don’t have as of this year. 🤦🏾♀️🤦🏾♀️
We all must fight for preservation of our Constitutional Rights.
Not fuckin cool
Big brother watching! 1984
the problem is huawei phone can't be use for this purpose..🤦🏻♂️✨
Draconian! 😵
When the US accuses other country of doing something, I bet that's what the US is doing.
'Fund them!' 🤮
ACLU Here’s where you step up and take the lead.
Wow!
And the Pulitzer Prize goes to garanceburke and JHDearen for their investigative journalism on Fog Reveal, thereby also confirming that Orwell's '1984' is now a widely used and meticulously followed instruction manual.