An official document obtained by a Freedom Of Information Act request reveals that the Secret Service has paid for access to location data provided by a multitude of apps on people's smartphones. The document outlines the agency's purchase agreement with a company called Babel Street for access to its product, Locate X, which tracks the location of various devices anonymously.

These days, a majority of smartphone apps collect location data. Many times it truly is collected for improved function within the app, whether it's locating the nearest available item or location near you, or helping you find your way to it. However, many of these apps still sell this information to data-brokers. They will even sell to a larger company that will incorporate the data into its own products and marketing strategies. The collecting and selling of user data is a hot button issue in it of itself, but there is a much larger problem at play as it pertains to not only the privacy of U.S. citizens, but to the decree in which government agencies gather intelligence.

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The purchase, detailed by Vice, highlights a growing issue in the current world of data collection by buying data rather than gathering information in a more lawful manner such as by warrant or court order. According to the document, the Locate X contract extends from September 28, 2017 to September 27, 2018, and includes a modified contract between the Secret Service and Babel Street for over two million dollars. A further investigation into the Locate X project found that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection was also a customer. This past February, a report revealed that both Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the IRS purchased app-based location data from a different company called Venntel.

When Law Enforcers Become Law Breakers

The birth of smartphones has brought on a whirlwind of technological evolution in a very short timespan, and government agencies now appear to have had trouble keeping up. With applications gathering location data, people posting their own content to internationally-owned companies like TikTok, and others promoting hate speech on social media platforms, there are a lot of things to monitor online these days. It is the job of government agencies to gather intelligence and eliminate potential threats before they pose any danger to citizens, and it must be increasingly difficult today. Add the increasing awareness and privacy laws being put in place to protect citizen rights while using location enabled devices, and it's that much tougher for an agency like the Secret Service to stay ahead of every issue. However, much like the law itself, the Secret Service must operate under an order of checks and balances and although it helps uphold the law, it is in no way shape or form above it.

For example, law enforcement agencies typically require a warrant or court order to force any person, group, or company to provide any sort of information for an investigation. This includes device data, and more specifically in this case, location data. When agencies like ICE, Customs, and the Secret Service choose to buy the data rather than seek a warrant, there is a huge loophole created that directly violates people's rights. This is clearly outlined in the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution. While it is clearly an issue that a company like Babel Street is selling location data to anyone, let alone government agencies, there is an even larger red flag people should note. When agencies have the ability and willingly choose to purchase information on citizens rather than legally gather it through due process, how can people feel safe with their privacy? Luckily some U.S. politicians have already taken notice and are working on new legislation to combat these workarounds, but the law-making process is a slow and complicated one. Data collection certainly isn't going anywhere anytime soon, but hopefully governments and its citizens will come together soon to ensure companies have no right to share any more of people's data.

More: Phone Passcodes Not Protected By Fifth Amendment, Says NJ Supreme Court

Source: Vice