Social Media Is Wiretapping’s #BFF

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Friend,

Most Americans would expect to know if police obtained access to their digital data. And many would at least expect the government to have probable cause before sifting through their search engine histories, private messages, and locations. However, recent news revelations cast a spotlight on the power of digital-surveillance providers. Firms like PenLink are profiting from surveilling social media platforms like WhatsApp that are marketed as privacy-protective, but which remain vulnerable to police tracking.

Last week, Forbes revealed PenLink’s ability to wiretap vast swaths of data from multiple social media platforms, telecommunications providers, and advertising websites. This service is made possible by Big Tech’s willingness to hand over de-encrypted, long-term stores of your digital information to both data brokers and police. From Google’s facilitation of geofence warrants to iCloud’s lack of end-to-end encryption on stored data, it’s clear that the companies we thought were relatively privacy-safe are all too willing to put consumers at risk and help police trample on Fourth Amendment rights.

In 2017, ICE signed a 4-year contract with PenLink for $16.5 Million. Since the new year began, the DEA and FBI have also paid PenLink hundreds of thousands to millions in licenses. These contracts are distressing, as Big Tech-Government collusion has been shown to magnify, rather than neutralize, America’s discriminatory justice system. Digital platforms must be regulated to ensure that users’ data cannot be weaponized against them. The secure messaging platform Signal is a prime example of a higher standard in privacy practices and consumer protections.

Tech firms must protect our data through true end-to-end encryption and a ban on geolocation surveillance.