The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has filed a request for information with the Federal Register, seeking data from commercial companies that develop "big data" and advertising technology tools. The filing is part of an effort by ICE to analyze and manage large volumes of investigative documents.
According to the filing, which asks companies to provide information about their products that could be used in investigations, ICE is looking at existing and emerging "Big Data and Ad Tech" services that can help manage and analyze the data it receives. The agency wants to know about tools that are comparable to those provided by large investigative data and legal/risk analytics providers.
The request suggests that ICE is expanding its use of commercial technology for law enforcement and surveillance, a trend that has been growing in recent years. This includes purchases of mobile location data from companies like Penlink and Venntel, which provides consumer location information.
Critics have raised concerns about the use of these technologies by government agencies, including ICE, citing issues with privacy and civil liberties. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment on this story.
This move comes amid an escalating federal response to protests in Minneapolis against immigration enforcement operations carried out jointly by ICE and Customs and Border Protection.
According to the filing, which asks companies to provide information about their products that could be used in investigations, ICE is looking at existing and emerging "Big Data and Ad Tech" services that can help manage and analyze the data it receives. The agency wants to know about tools that are comparable to those provided by large investigative data and legal/risk analytics providers.
The request suggests that ICE is expanding its use of commercial technology for law enforcement and surveillance, a trend that has been growing in recent years. This includes purchases of mobile location data from companies like Penlink and Venntel, which provides consumer location information.
Critics have raised concerns about the use of these technologies by government agencies, including ICE, citing issues with privacy and civil liberties. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment on this story.
This move comes amid an escalating federal response to protests in Minneapolis against immigration enforcement operations carried out jointly by ICE and Customs and Border Protection.