ICE's Tool to Monitor Phones in Neighborhoods • Hacker News Board

Re: ICE's Tool to Monitor Phones in Neighborhoods

#111

Post by soco » Thu, Jan 08, 2026, 6:24 PM UTC

ActorNightly wrote: post #94

embedding-shape wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Basically: if it has a modem in it, it can be used against you in some way. Phones, routers, cars, public signs, cameras. It's been so turbulent lately, that it's hard to register events that would have blown our minds if so many things didn't also happen around the same time. Remember when Israel made a bunch of pagers explode indiscriminately across Lebanon and Syria? So many things going on, one worse than the oth…

Its important to not be hyperbolic in these times. The two technologies ICE uses rely on permission for apps tonuse geolocation data for advertising purposes. Same reason you start seeing ads for local things when you travel. Technically they can subpoena cell records to see which towers your phone connects to, but this is not viable for multiple people. For privacy, if you care, having a rooted degoogled phone with…

Nevertheless, it's eerie that we are even having this discussion today. I didn't say "scary" because I'm far away from these events, but definitely uncomfortable - I know, the "events" may approach sooner or later my location too...

Re: ICE's Tool to Monitor Phones in Neighborhoods

#112

Post by marcosdumay » Thu, Jan 08, 2026, 6:25 PM UTC

silisili wrote: post #17

phillipcarter wrote: post #3

The most maximally vindictive candidates are earning my votes in the coming election.

> most maximally vindictive candidates I think that's how we got to this point today, tbh.

I think you and the GP are using completely different definitions of "revenge".

Re: ICE's Tool to Monitor Phones in Neighborhoods

#113

Post by SpicyLemonZest » Thu, Jan 08, 2026, 6:26 PM UTC

newfriend wrote: post #96

cdrnsf wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Immigration can be enforced without murdering, gassing and viciously assaulting bystanders. Never mind the violations of human rights (like sending deportees to hellholes like CECOT), lying about citizen observers and continually having lawsuits tossed by grand juries. It's a rogue agency with no accountability that will continue to cause untold harm while making everyone less safe.

[flagged]

I don't care what you think is viable anymore, because the current US immigration enforcement authorities are themselves criminals and murderers. Until Kristi Noem and Greg Bovino are in prison jumpsuits, I will never support the enforcement of US immigration laws and wholeheartedly endorse all lawful efforts to obstruct it.

Re: ICE's Tool to Monitor Phones in Neighborhoods

#114

Post by gruez » Thu, Jan 08, 2026, 6:27 PM UTC

dzdt wrote: post #81

gruez wrote: post #31

>The material does not say how Penlink obtains the smartphone location data in the first place. But surveillance companies and data brokers broadly gather it in two different ways. The first is from small bundles of code included in ordinary apps called software development kits, or SDKs. SDK owners then pay the app developers, who might make things like weather or prayer apps, for their users’ location data. The sec…

If you install 100 apps on your phone, and 50% are participating in the kind of ad network that this data is sourced form, and 10% of the apps convince you to enable location services either by having a plausible need for it or by dark patterns or by your carelessness, that means there are still multiple sources where this information gets out. The math is on the trackers' side, not the users'.

>If you install 100 apps on your phone

Why do you need 100 apps? Moreover why do you need 100 apps that have location permissions? Both android and ios makes it easy to tell which apps have location permissions. The list should be a very small list, and limited to "while using app".

>and 10% of the apps convince you to enable location services either by having a plausible need for it or by dark patterns or by your carelessness, that means there are still multiple sources where this information gets out.

I'm not claiming that nobody is getting picked up by data brokers. The fact that they're in business implies that there's enough people careless enough to make it a viable business. But what I am claiming that such tracking isn't too hard to avoid. You can see some people in this thread who think otherwise, thinking that they need to go of the grid or switch to burner phones, when they all need to do is spend 1 minute to check the location permissions list.

Re: ICE's Tool to Monitor Phones in Neighborhoods

#115

Post by layer8 » Thu, Jan 08, 2026, 6:27 PM UTC

daheza wrote: post #22

icameron wrote: post #20

When I first heard the advice to ditch your phone when you go a protest, I thought maybe that's a little extreme. But it's a real threat. We already knew post Snowden there is an extensive big brother apparatus. We saw post 911 that all rights can be taken away in the name of counter-terrorism. Now with a government that's operating outside the law and labeling peaceful protesters as terrorists, I don't think we can…

If we all ditch our phones then how will we record the abuses of power?

There are standalone pocket cameras.

Re: ICE's Tool to Monitor Phones in Neighborhoods

#116

Post by wyre » Thu, Jan 08, 2026, 6:28 PM UTC

jtfrench wrote: post #7

phillipcarter wrote: post #3

The most maximally vindictive candidates are earning my votes in the coming election.

What if their maximally vindictive traits just makes them want to use the same invasive tools and techniques?

Compared to the alternative of staying on our current path of American fascism and WW3?

I’ll take the odds for vindictiveness.

Re: ICE's Tool to Monitor Phones in Neighborhoods

#117

Post by cheeze » Thu, Jan 08, 2026, 6:28 PM UTC

dandellion wrote: post #92

spicybright wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My only comment is being able to call emergency services wherever you are is very useful. Pre-cell phone times was just hoping there was a landline somewhere. And you weren't able to get instructions from the operator and be with a fallen person at the same time.

Can't you just put your phone in a shielded bag, and take it out if you need to use it?

Yes, but this feels like the modern equivalent of wearing a tin foil hat :/

Re: ICE's Tool to Monitor Phones in Neighborhoods

#118

Post by dredmorbius » Thu, Jan 08, 2026, 6:29 PM UTC

daheza wrote: post #22

icameron wrote: post #20

When I first heard the advice to ditch your phone when you go a protest, I thought maybe that's a little extreme. But it's a real threat. We already knew post Snowden there is an extensive big brother apparatus. We saw post 911 that all rights can be taken away in the name of counter-terrorism. Now with a government that's operating outside the law and labeling peaceful protesters as terrorists, I don't think we can…

If we all ditch our phones then how will we record the abuses of power?

There are inexpensive dedicated still and video cameras, for as little as $40.

Higher-quality devices will still cost markedly less than a flagship, or even several-years-old smartphone, and will have much greater lifespan absent misadventure.

Re: ICE's Tool to Monitor Phones in Neighborhoods

#119

Post by mercanlIl » Thu, Jan 08, 2026, 6:29 PM UTC

everdrive wrote: post #19

So this is getting to be pretty real and pretty scary. How many of you have actually considered just not using your mobile phone any longer? Turning it off, only powering it on when you need it, and not bringing it when you leave your home? Within a lot of our lifetimes, this was the norm. Are these devices so useful that put up with carrying a tracking / listening device on us at all time?

Just one anecdotal perspective:

I do not of know a single person in my extended family/professional network/social circle who has had location tracking or app eavesdropping directly impact their life. The only impact I’ve seen is via advertising exposure.

(For me) The convenience of Google Maps for navigation, and messaging for communication, is too beneficial. The _impact_ of these technologies as surveillance tools _in my life_ is hypothetical.

Re: ICE's Tool to Monitor Phones in Neighborhoods

#120

Post by nphardon » Thu, Jan 08, 2026, 6:30 PM UTC

filoleg wrote: post #59

nphardon wrote: post #27

M.I.A.'s clothing brand is looking real good now. There are others but hers was the first I heard about. Seems like the waist bag would be critical for activists. From the Ohmni website: "...fabric's work by utilizing the principles of a Faraday cage to block or shield against electrical signals, electromagnetic radiation (EMR), and radio frequency interference (RFI)."

>"[...] fabric's work by utilizing the principles of a Faraday cage to block or shield against electrical signals, electromagnetic radiation (EMR), and radio frequency interference (RFI)." But what's the point of bringing a phone at this point? Other comments mentioned valid points about tradeoffs of using an offline camera vs. a phone, with pro-phone arguments listing things like "being able to livestream and get th…

There's levels, for some, no-phone is the safest only route, for others, this could be a good solution. There's vids on her site showing how it works, it's very nice.