Privacy group sues feds over talks with tech companies on ICE raid trackers

The lawsuit concerns the removal of apps like ICEBlock, Red Dot and DeICER from online playstores that provide real-time tracking of immigration raids.

A digital privacy group is suing the federal government to obtain records of its communications with technology and social media companies leading up to the removal of several apps and websites that were tracking the activities of  Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies.  

In a lawsuit filed Thursday, the non-profit Electronic Frontier Foundation names four federal agencies (The Departments of Justice and Homeland Security and component agencies ICE and Customs and Border Patrol) as defendants, seeking their communications with Meta, Apple and Google. 

Google told the House Judiciary Committee this year that it felt pressured by the government to censor certain viewpoints. However, Google and other social media companies have described the exchanges in court cases as entirely voluntary and limited to sharing information about accounts spreading misinformation on COVID-19 and elections. Last year, the Supreme Court found these exchanges were voluntary and that companies could refuse the government’s requests without facing consequences.  

On his first day re-entering office, Trump signed an executive order titled “Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship” that prevented federal agencies from using time, money or resources on activity that “engages in or facilitates any conduct that would unconstitutionally abridge the free speech of any American citizen.”

EFF filed requests under the Freedom of Information Act at all four agencies, asking for expedited processing due to “the urgency to inform the public about potential coercion of technology platforms and because it is a matter of exceptional media interest that raises questions about the agencies’ integrity.” None have responded with the records.

DHS privacy probe will focus on biometric tracking by ICE, OBIM

Auditors told CyberScoop the probe could expand to other parts of DHS and will look at the agency’s increasing use of biometric markers in immigration enforcement.

House Dems seek info about ICE spyware contract, wary of potential abuses

Rep. Garbarino: Ending CISA mobile app security program for feds sends ‘wrong signal’

Government

• FBI officials say AI is bolstering adversaries, emphasizing need to focus on cyber basics, patching

• Feds accuse China of ‘systematic’ distillation of U.S. AI models

• CIA’s Michael Ellis says cyber intelligence is changing how the agency operates

• The G7 tells industry to hurry up and prep for post-quantum encryption

Technology

• FCC proposes public scorecard to rate telecoms on anti-robocall efforts

• Pegasus, NoviSpy variant spyware found on devices of Serbian activists

• The Collective Cyber Defense letter wrote your next vendor questionnaire

• Former sexual abuse victims say Grok used their images, videos to train deepfake capabilities

Threats

• Chinese espionage groups swarm to exploit triple-link chain of zero-days

• Microsoft discloses two actively exploited zero-days among 974 vulnerabilities

• Russian national extradited to US for alleged involvement in bank-account takeover scheme

• Attackers exploit zero-days in consistently besieged SonicWall product

Policy

• Whistleblower says USPS deploying new, ‘untested’ IT systems governing mail-in ballots

• ‘Watershed 250’ test program in Texas looks to private sector for water cybersecurity help

• Cyber threats nudge Trump to sign executive order on foreign equipment in U.S. energy infrastructure

• Election official says Tina Peters would be consultant, won’t have access to election systems