BIG BROTHER

ICE Quietly Splurges Cash on Phone-Hacking Technology

The Trump administration has approved $96 million for a surveillance group whose systems federal immigration agents will use against “non-cooperative” targets.

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The Department of Homeland Security has dramatically increased available funding for a group helping federal immigration agents break into people’s phones. ICE has set aside $96 million for Cellebrite, an Israeli digital surveillance company, for systems that can extract information from cellphones, tablets, and other devices, according to PunchUp, the Daily Beast’s sister Substack. The five-year contract marks a 170 percent increase on the department’s previous $35.5 million deal with the company, struck in 2019. DHS has rapidly expanded its surveillance capabilities since Donald Trump retook the White House. It’s unclear how much that tech accounts for within the more than $22 billion in private-sector deals for contractors participating in his immigration crackdown. But ICE’s arsenal now also includes facial-recognition technology, cellphone tracking systems, social media monitoring software, AI programs, and drones. DHS has repeatedly refused to confirm exactly who it is targeting, or to what extent. It is facing multiple lawsuits for failing to hand over information on its alleged use of that tech against migrants, protesters, and other groups caught up in the president’s immigration purge. A Cellebrite spokesperson told the Daily Beast that the company does not discuss “specific customers and contracts.” DHS said that “ICE employs various forms of technology while respecting civil liberties and privacy interests.”

Tom Latchem exposes the secrets, scandals, and stories that powerful people and institutions want to keep under wraps. Follow all of his reporting at PunchUp on Substack.