CBP used online advertising data to track phone locations

US And Israel Waging war in Iran Last week, which has already led to the killing of more than 1,200 Iranians and has spread outside the country Throughout the Middle East. there Many unknowns About the goals of US President Donald Trump as the conflict enters its second week and the situation appears to be ripe for that Increasing the energy crisis With echoes around the world.

Iran in Nationwide internet shutdown With only the intranet created by the regime available in the country, plunging Iranians into digital darkness and making it difficult for humanitarian workers, Journalists and others to disseminate information Whether inside or outside the country. And with the start of the strikes on Tehran last weekend, it seems Hacked prayer app sends messages saying “surrender” and “help is on the way” For Iranians all over the country.

Meanwhile, GPS attacks such as Jamming— not to mention physical threats — are on the rise in the Strait of Hormuz, threatening cargo ships. Hacking security cameras has emerged as part of the rules of the game in war. and Missile interception systems Throughout the Middle East it is under pressure, and in some cases destroyed in strikes.

Trump Deposed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem this week. Her tenure was marked by aggressive anti-immigration tactics, and the killing by ICE and CBP of two American protesters. A The iPhone hacking toolkit is very advanced It was likely originally designed for the US government and is in the hands of many other countries as well as crooks who have likely used the tools to infect tens of thousands of phones or more. Some US lawmakers as well Contact To investigate the threat posed by decades-old side-channel hacking technology. And wired He went inside How music streaming CEO Elie Habib built the open source global threat map World Monitor in his spare time.

And there’s more. Every week we round up security and privacy news that we haven’t covered in depth ourselves. Click on the titles to read the full stories. And stay safe out there.

US Customs and Border Protection has admitted, for the first time, that it purchased phone location data from the sprawling, surveillance-laden online advertising industry. The agency’s acknowledgment is included in a document called the Privacy Threshold Analysis, Obtained by 404 Media Through a Freedom of Information Act request. The document relates to an experiment conducted by Customs and Border Protection between 2019 and 2021.

The post notes that CBP purchased the data Linked to real-time bidding processes. When you see ads online or in apps, they are often shown to you after automated, real-time auctions where advertisers bid to show that specific ad to you. The more obscure parts of the advertising industry can collect data from your device, including your phone’s identifying details and location data; It is then repackaged and sold to companies and entities. He has called the data a “gold mine” for tracking people’s daily activities.

CBP did not respond to 404 Media’s request for comment on whether it is still purchasing the data; but, ICE reportedly planned To buy access to another system, called Webloc, which allows entire neighborhoods to be monitored for cell phone movements.

The FBI was able to identify an Atlanta protester after eventually obtaining information from Swiss encrypted email service Proton Mail, court documents revealed this week. Judicial document Reviewed by 404 media It appears that payment information linked to Proton’s email address was provided to US law enforcement by Swiss authorities after a request was made under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT), which allows agencies to share data internationally.

Swiss officials submitted a data access request under Swiss laws to Proton to obtain payment information associated with the email address defensetheatlantaforest@protonmail.comWhich was linked to the protests in Atlanta. This information was then provided to US law enforcement officials under international agreements, and they were able to identify the person associated with the account.