It Is Time to Ban the Sale of Precise Geolocation
Leaked documents reveal U.S. firm's geolocation tool tracks individuals up to 12 times daily without warrants.
A new Citizen Lab report reveals the alarming capabilities of Webloc, a commercial geolocation surveillance tool originally developed by Cobweb Technologies and now sold by U.S. firm Penlink following their 2023 merger. According to leaked technical documents, Webloc provides access to location data from approximately 500 million mobile devices worldwide, collecting device identifiers, precise coordinates, and profile information from mobile apps and digital advertising. The system can track individual devices with disturbing granularity—one case study documented a man in Abu Dhabi being tracked 12 times daily as his phone reported locations via GPS and nearby Wi-Fi access points.
Webloc's customer list includes multiple U.S. federal agencies including the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), military units, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs Police, along with state police departments in California, Texas, New York, and Arizona. The tool integrates with Penlink's flagship Tangles platform, which analyzes publicly available social media data, creating potential for linking anonymous device identifiers to personal online accounts without warrants. While valuable for investigations—like identifying a serial cigarette thief in Tucson through device pattern analysis—the system operates with minimal oversight, raising significant civil liberties concerns.
The national security implications are equally troubling, as the same data available to U.S. agencies can be purchased by foreign intelligence services. Citizen Lab confirms Penlink's overseas customers include Hungary's domestic intelligence agency and El Salvador's National Civil Police, demonstrating how sensitive geolocation data on Americans becomes accessible to foreign governments. The report concludes that current U.S. laws provide inadequate protection against warrantless tracking and calls for immediate legislative action to ban the commercial sale of precise geolocation data.
- Webloc accesses real-time location data from 500 million mobile devices globally, tracking individuals up to 12 times daily
- U.S. customers include DHS, ICE, military units, and police departments in 4 states using the tool without warrant requirements
- Integration with Penlink's Tangles platform can link anonymous device IDs to social media profiles, creating comprehensive surveillance dossiers
Why It Matters
Commercial geolocation tracking creates surveillance capabilities that bypass constitutional protections, exposing both citizens and national security interests.