Mass surveillance

Spy Agencies Stopped Collecting GPS, Phone Location Data Last Year

The intelligence community no longer collects cell phone location or GPS data under the law used to justify spy agencies’ bulk surveillance programs, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in a letter to a lawmaker.

The disclosure comes as lawmakers decide whether to reauthorize the law—Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act—which is set to expire on Dec. 15.

For years, the government relied on Section 215 to conduct a number of sweeping data collection operations under the guise of fighting terrorism. Among other surveillance efforts, the measure permitted the intelligence community to sweep up “cell-site location information” and other geolocation data from individuals’ cell phones, giving the government an intimate view into the movements of an untold number of Americans.

But on Thursday, the ODNI confirmed agencies stopped collecting cell phone location data last year after the Supreme Court limited the practice by law enforcement agencies. In the 2018 Carpenter v. United States case, the court ruled that in criminal investigations, the government must obtain a warrant to collect more than a week’s worth of cell phone location data.