The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has canceled its contract for a surveillance tool that enables warrantless tracking of mobile devices. The tool, called Webloc, sources data from consumer apps and advertising networks, which collect the location of mobile devices from consumers who download apps or browse the web.
Concerns Over Legality
Lawmakers, a prosecutor, and a judge raised concerns about the legality of the tool in criminal investigations. Rep. Michael Cloud, a Republican from Texas, and Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, expressed reservations about the agency’s use of bulk commercial location data.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that police needed a warrant to obtain historic movement data from cellphone companies on a criminal suspect. However, it has never addressed the growing practice of commercially acquired data.
Other Users of Webloc
Other users of Webloc include the U.S. military and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as local law enforcement agencies such as police in places like Elk Grove, California, and Durham, North Carolina.
ATF said in a statement that it determined that the tool ‘does not meet our needs.’ The agency said it is not using any other ad-tech-sourced services.
Wyden called ATF’s decision to abandon the software ‘a victory for Americans’ constitutional rights.’ ‘For years, I have warned that the government’s purchase of Americans’ location data from shady data brokers is an unacceptable end-run around the Fourth Amendment,’ Wyden said in a statement.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
