Agents allegedly used electronic databases to spy on family members and even provide information to drug traffickers.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers allegedly misused electronic databases to spy on family members, attempt to secure appointments and even provide information to suspected drug traffickers, according to Freedom of Information Files (FOIA) viewed by Wired. Officers allegedly misused databases that could come from sources such as license plate readers, facial recognition and smartphone searches to violate the privacy of many people.
The FOIA files, spanning from 2009 to 2022, show a number of disturbing incidents. One CBP agent allegedly used a government database to contact a flight attendant, and another allegedly used data from trusted traveler apps to invite people out. One employee provided border data to someone involved in a divorce, and another abused internal policies by tracking co-workers’ cell phones with location data derived from ad technology.
Out of 300 incidents followed by Wired138 were referred to CBP management and 78 assigned to criminal investigators, while 43 others were not investigated. Many complaints were handled internally or categorized as minor misconduct, but 21 were upheld due to possible police procedures suggesting criminal misconduct was involved.
The report is notable because DHS has more access to private citizen data than ever before and has built one of the largest surveillance systems in the world, Wired note. Its sources include records on immigration arrests, border enforcement records, naturalization applications, and the SENTRI Trusted Traveler Program. The agency also has access to Palantir’s ICM and FALCON systems, as well as the DHS Mobile Fortify facial recognition application deployed on agents’ phones.
CBP said Wired that it takes allegations of misconduct seriously and strives to “uphold the rule of law and hold us accountable…(and takes) appropriate investigative, corrective and disciplinary measures.”
