'Horrifying' leak reveals ICE 'stalkers' have access to Americans' cell phone data

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5. Kick

ICE has quietly bought access to a powerful surveillance system that can monitor entire neighborhoods by sweeping up cellphone location data and tracking people’s movements over time, according to documents obtained by 404 Media.

The system, built by Penlink, consists of two tools called Webloc and Tangles. Webloc lets agents draw virtual perimeters around blocks or cities, identify phones present, and trace where devices travel over time, including likely homes and workplaces — all without a warrant. Tangles adds social media monitoring, including tracking and analysis of online activity.

Civil liberties groups warn the system enables mass dragnet surveillance to help ICE’s deportation crackdown. ICE argues commercially sourced data is exempt from warrant requirements, a claim critics say exploits legal loopholes and poses serious risks to privacy, free speech, and immigrant communities.