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reACTIONary

(7,033 posts)

67. The way this is done without a warrant is.....

Reply to obamanut2012 (Reply #3)

Mon Jan 12, 2026, 06:13 PM

Jan 12

.... to purchase the data from data aggregators that collect the data legally and are in the business of selling it. So, yes, private citizens, who can afford it, can track you in this way.

"ICE had purchased two products produced by the American software company Pen-Link"

Pen-Link is a software company composed of "private individuals", and I don't think Pen-Link would have any quams about selling their products to anyone with the money.

Here I an example of the cell phone "tracking" product, which does not track in real time, but instead provides historical data:

Webloc is a controversial cellphone location-tracking system used by law enforcement agencies, notably U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Developed by the Israeli company Cobwebs (which merged into PenLink in 2023), it aggregates vast amounts of commercial location data from hundreds of millions of mobile devices.

How Webloc Works

Webloc operates by purchasing location data that is generated by smartphone apps for advertising purposes. This data includes information from apps, GPS, and Wi-Fi signals and is linked to a mobile advertising ID (MAID). The system's key features include:

Mass Data Collection: It gathers an extensive database of location points from a multitude of apps without requiring direct access to a user's phone.

Geofencing: Users (e.g., law enforcement agents) can draw a virtual perimeter on a map and query the system for all devices present in that area during a specific time.

Movement Tracking: It monitors and traces the historical movements of individual phones over time to establish patterns, infer home addresses, workplaces, and social connections.

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Highlight:

'Horrifying' leak reveals ICE 'stalkers' have access to Americans' cell phone data [View all] cbabe Jan 12 OP

Yep..................... Lovie777 Jan 12 #1

To be fair, most of that information can be obtained by any private citizen. Hellbound Hellhound Jan 12 #2

Private citizens cannot track you this way obamanut2012 Jan 12 #3

You GROSSLY underestimate how much information is already out there and how much can be FOIA'd to the right companies. Hellbound Hellhound Jan 12 #4

You missed the point about wholesale government surveillance. Kid Berwyn Jan 12 #17

Oh, I didn't miss the point; My counterpoint is that one doesn't even need the government to do it. Hellbound Hellhound Jan 12 #18

That's great, but besides the original point. Kid Berwyn Jan 12 #19

I mean, there's obviously degrees of power. Hellbound Hellhound Jan 12 #23

We are all naked to public scrutiny. RVN VET71 Jan 12 #53

10/10, no notes. I agree with you fully. n/t Hellbound Hellhound Jan 12 #54

And, of course, there is the NSA data center in Utah markodochartaigh Jan 12 #27

Thanks, Kid. n/t yellow dahlia Jan 12 #70

You are misisng my point: private citzens cannot track you this way obamanut2012 Jan 12 #44

Hey man, you got a personal stake tied up in this, I don't. I understand. "You're right" if that's what you need. n/t Hellbound Hellhound Jan 12 #47

Squirrell stillspkg Jan 12 #57

Oh, see, THAT is a drastically different animal and I agree entirely. Hellbound Hellhound Jan 12 #58

FOIA's aren't dealt with quickly & are challenged for "standing," so the FOIA argument doesn't hold for average citizens ancianita Jan 12 #74

As a for instance... Hellbound Hellhound Jan 12 #16

I'm not disputing what you're saying radical noodle Jan 12 #37

Context search. Post history, details gleaned, timestamps, general statements, writing style, locations, profiles... Hellbound Hellhound Jan 12 #38

So here's PURELY an example. Hellbound Hellhound Jan 12 #39

Wow! radical noodle Jan 12 #66

Tell me how YOU track a neighborhood's worth of phones like teh OP states obamanut2012 Jan 12 #45

With a lot of hard work and research. Hellbound Hellhound Jan 12 #48

Do it DBoon Jan 12 #75

It is fairly trivial Lithos Jan 12 #28

It really isn't obamanut2012 Jan 12 #46

They do it all the time Lithos Jan 12 #62

The way this is done without a warrant is..... reACTIONary Jan 12 #67

Just wait ForgedCrank Jan 12 #20

One of those is less than a mile down the main road that runs in front of the farm. ... littlemissmartypants Jan 12 #40

The guy ForgedCrank Jan 12 #41

I tried to add it. But it's more complicated than I have bandwidth for at the moment. ... littlemissmartypants Jan 12 #52

Oooooh! MorbidButterflyTat Jan 12 #71

It really does! What a great idea, MBT! ❤️ littlemissmartypants Jan 12 #72

Kick dalton99a Jan 12 #5

I do not have a cell phone katmondoo Jan 12 #7

I don't have one either! CountAllVotes Jan 12 #43

It's called 'Stingray' CousinIT Jan 12 #6

Stingray is ancient tech orangecrush Jan 12 #21

Still in use though, it seems - article from June 2025. I remember from the No Kings protest...people were.. CousinIT Jan 12 #24

There are apps in Google Play store orangecrush Jan 12 #32

So would it work to "go invisible" if you turn your phone totally off and put it in an RFID wallet? woodsprite Jan 12 #8

Burners are currently the best option, and the cheapest for their efficacy. Hellbound Hellhound Jan 12 #9

Spot on. orangecrush Jan 12 #22

Cheers mate, thanks for the nod. Hellbound Hellhound Jan 12 #25

True again orangecrush Jan 12 #30

Solid. I've always wanted to get into HAM but money's been the limiting factor. Hellbound Hellhound Jan 12 #31

Look up "Baofeng" ham radio orangecrush Jan 12 #33

No shit? Man, I just took a look and they've changed a LOT since I looked last! Hellbound Hellhound Jan 12 #35

My pleasure orangecrush Jan 12 #36

I saw a video orangecrush Jan 12 #26

Agreed, with cameras everywhere, the only surefire way to not get tracked via phone is to not have a phone. Hellbound Hellhound Jan 12 #29

A good RFID bag (or Faraday bag) would help a lot. erronis Jan 12 #49

Perhaps you could "go invisible" temporarily. progressoid Jan 12 #68

Scary jfz9580m Jan 12 #10

Your tax dollars at work. Kid Berwyn Jan 12 #11

Well, when you integrate something into every aspect of your life without a clear understanding of how it all works... OldBaldy1701E Jan 12 #12

California launches one-click system to delete personal data from hundreds of brokers cbabe Jan 12 #15

Good idea. We'll see how well it really works. erronis Jan 12 #50

Law enforcement has been using portable cell phone tower capture devices...stingray...since the 90's Melon Jan 12 #13

Can law enforcement "see" your phone if your location services is turned off? Felicita Jan 12 #69

I think if your phone is on...which is using cell service Melon Jan 12 #76

Having a cell phone is like having the Government in your pocket, and not just the U.S. gov! RedWhiteBlueIsRacist Jan 12 #14

Word orangecrush Jan 12 #34

THAT was the name of the show I was thinking of, "Person of Interest". Hellbound Hellhound Jan 12 #42

The consistent misuse of information has a foul smell attached to it Torchlight Jan 12 #51

Intrusive vs Exclusive Tech 2na fisherman Jan 12 #55

that has to be unconstitutional, right? barbtries Jan 12 #56

You'd be surprised how much of their lives people sign away to cell phone companies in their contracts. n/t Hellbound Hellhound Jan 12 #59

Faraday bags -misanthroptimist Jan 12 #60

I somehow survived half a century without a cell phone. hunter Jan 12 #61

NAZIS Joinfortmill Jan 12 #63

A VPN will protect your data through encryption, although not your movement GoodRaisin Jan 12 #64

Elon??? Evolve Dammit Jan 12 #65

This message was self-deleted by its author mysteryowl Jan 12 #73

"...the Trump administration's growing surveillance state." calimary Jan 13 #77