Recent ICE raids expose just how vulnerable our location data is | Opinion
By David Trujillo and Jonathan Mehta Stein Special to The Sacramento Bee
The frightening images of recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids have sown fear and uncertainty throughout California. As horrifying as these military-type operations are, what’s just as chilling is how it’s happening: the quiet, invisible role of location data in making these raids possible. Through commercial data brokers and partnerships with local law enforcement, ICE has amassed a vast and powerful collection of data that allows them to track individuals’ movements with unnerving precision. This might sound like science fiction, but it’s our present reality. Location surveillance is omnipresent — whether through automated license plate readers, mobile device tracking or facial recognition in public spaces. The same data we generate by simply carrying a phone or driving down the street can now be weaponized against any one of us.