Surveillance firm says Apple is 'phenomenal' for law enforcement
Secret recordings of a surveillance firm's presentation show how much iCloud data Apple surrenders to law enforcement with a warrant -- though it's Google and Facebook that can track a suspect to within three feet.
PenLink is a little-known firm from Nebraska which earns $20 million annually from helping the US government track criminal suspects. PenLink also sells its services to local law enforcement - and it's from such a sales presentation that details of iCloud warrants has emerged.
According to Forbes, Jack Poulson of the Tech Inquiry watchdog attended the National Sheriff's Association winter conference. While there, he secretly recorded the event.
During the presentation, PenLink's Scott Tuma described how the company works with law enforcement to track users through multiple services, including the "phenomenal" Apple with iCloud.
Apple is open about what it does in the event of a suboena from law enforcement. It's specific about how it will not unlock iPhones, for instance, but it will surrender information from iCloud backups that are stored on its servers.
"If you did something bad," said Tuma, "I bet you I could find it on that backup."
"[Google] can get me within three feet of a precise location," he said. "I cannot tell you how many cold cases I've helped work on where this is five, six, seven years old and people need to put [the suspect] at a hit-and-run or it was a sexual assault that took place."
It's also possible for law enforcement and firms like PenLink which help them, to get location data from Facebook and Snapchat. Reportedly, Facebook will report a suspect's location to within between 60 feet and 90 feet.
Snapchat has begun to provide location details accurate to within 15 feet. However, Snapchat also limits requests, releasing information to any one law enforcement agency around four times per day.
Tuma reports that the various services give access to data in different ways. Facebook, for instance, provides a portal where officials can log in and download the files. However, if the official investigator does not re-login every hour, they are locked out.
"This is how big a pain in the ass Facebook is," said Tuma.
This is one case where the use of PenLink to gather this information has a clear benefit. PenLink can automate the process of logging in to Facebook's portal.
The report says that the amount of data going from Facebook, Google, and others to the police is substantial. For example, one search warrant seen by the publication resulted in 27,000 pages of information from one man's account on Facebook.
Tuma does not believe that access to information is going to decrease. Firms that withheld information from the police would be unable to present that data to advertisers.
"I always call BS on it for this reason right here," Tuma said. "Google's ad revenue in 2020 was $182 billion."
Read on AppleInsider
PenLink is a little-known firm from Nebraska which earns $20 million annually from helping the US government track criminal suspects. PenLink also sells its services to local law enforcement - and it's from such a sales presentation that details of iCloud warrants has emerged.
According to Forbes, Jack Poulson of the Tech Inquiry watchdog attended the National Sheriff's Association winter conference. While there, he secretly recorded the event.
During the presentation, PenLink's Scott Tuma described how the company works with law enforcement to track users through multiple services, including the "phenomenal" Apple with iCloud.
Apple is open about what it does in the event of a suboena from law enforcement. It's specific about how it will not unlock iPhones, for instance, but it will surrender information from iCloud backups that are stored on its servers.
"If you did something bad," said Tuma, "I bet you I could find it on that backup."
Tracking people to real-world locations
Tuma also says that in his experience, it's been possible to find people's locations through different services, although not through iCloud."[Google] can get me within three feet of a precise location," he said. "I cannot tell you how many cold cases I've helped work on where this is five, six, seven years old and people need to put [the suspect] at a hit-and-run or it was a sexual assault that took place."
It's also possible for law enforcement and firms like PenLink which help them, to get location data from Facebook and Snapchat. Reportedly, Facebook will report a suspect's location to within between 60 feet and 90 feet.
Snapchat has begun to provide location details accurate to within 15 feet. However, Snapchat also limits requests, releasing information to any one law enforcement agency around four times per day.
Tuma reports that the various services give access to data in different ways. Facebook, for instance, provides a portal where officials can log in and download the files. However, if the official investigator does not re-login every hour, they are locked out.
"This is how big a pain in the ass Facebook is," said Tuma.
This is one case where the use of PenLink to gather this information has a clear benefit. PenLink can automate the process of logging in to Facebook's portal.
The report says that the amount of data going from Facebook, Google, and others to the police is substantial. For example, one search warrant seen by the publication resulted in 27,000 pages of information from one man's account on Facebook.
Tuma does not believe that access to information is going to decrease. Firms that withheld information from the police would be unable to present that data to advertisers.
"I always call BS on it for this reason right here," Tuma said. "Google's ad revenue in 2020 was $182 billion."
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
Kinda defeats the purpose of some warrants. Many grand jury and/or criminal investigations take a lot more than "90 days" to complete and all you would do is tip off the person being investigated.
It doesn't botther me too much because it's their service, if I have a problem with it I'll move to more secure technologies.
The Constitution requires a warrant where the government must show probably cause. There are exigent circumstances that allow warrantless searches and seizures but those are disfavored.
If you don’t want your information shared, don’t share it. Fortunately, to the chagrin of less scrupulous companies that want to vacuum up your data, Apple makes it easy to prevent sharing information you don’t want to share. Like location data. When Facebook asks for permission to see your location, say No!
Just like when you buy music or a movie from iTunes. You own it as long as it’s on your personal device, but if you only have a copy in iCloud, then you don’t really own it. So if a song or movie is no longer available in iTunes for example, then you could lose that content. That’s why it’s smart to always download everything and keep a backup.
There are so many sweepingly broad characterizations here, that you could drive an ocean liner through it.
But I guess that is what trolls do.
Can you say? Hit and Run
in comparison to the information sold to advertisers??
Sorry, but this article throws the baby out with the bath water.
If you think that your data has not been examined or analysed by the state in connection to nefarious things then you are very naive. The truth is they have not been compelled to notify you so you have no idea what they have and have not looked at.
So a company that holds an EU (or UK) citizen’s data cannot share that data with anyone unless the company clearly defines the exact ways and means with which that data can be shared and with whom. A simple read of the T&Cs for iCloud (at least here) shows that information will only be shared with law enforcement upon production of a warrant or court order.