Thread by @lauramoy

Must-read story from @jenvalentino about a service that enables law enforcement customers to get real-time location of *any phone in the country* just by typing in a phone number and self-certifying that they have the requisite legal authority. nytimes.com/2018/05/10/tec…

The vendor, Securus, requires customers to upload a document (possibly any doc?) and check a box to "certify" it's "an official document" (not a warrant, mind you) "giving permission to look up the location" of the target. Look at this. It would be funny if it weren't horrifying.

When asked whether/how it ensures that its customers actually get the necessary authority to retrieve real-time on-demand location information about any phone they want, Securus is basically like, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ "Securus is neither a judge nor a district attorney," says spokesperson.

Misuse of this service—which is totally predictable—is very real. One of the crazier parts of this very crazy story is that prosecutors are currently going after a former sheriff for using the service to track people without court orders. INCLUDING A JUDGE (!) AND OTHER OFFICERS.

The location info originates from the carriers, who apparently provide sketchy "location aggregators" with a direct portal into real-time location information for all their customers, then exercise zero oversight over what happens with that info. (Yes, my carrier and yours too.)

Senator @RonWyden sent a bunch of letters to carriers and the @FCC this week about this issue. “Wireless carriers have an obligation to take affirmative steps to verify law enforcement requests,” he wrote. No kidding. This is a massive privacy violation.

And it's likely just the tip of an iceberg. This story focuses on one company's misuse of carriers' location info, but there are likely many others. @RonWyden requested audits of carriers' relationships with buyers of data. I'm both excited and scared to hear how those turn out.

And here are the links to the letters from Wyden.

ATT: wyden.senate.gov/download/wyden…
FCC: wyden.senate.gov/download/wyden…
Sprint: wyden.senate.gov/download/wyden…
T-Mobile: wyden.senate.gov/download/wyden…
Verizon: wyden.senate.gov/download/wyden…