Privacy advocates gained access to a powerful tool bought by U.S. law enforcement agencies that can track smartphone locations around the world. Abortion clinics, places of worship, and individual people can all be monitored without a warrant.

Privacy advocates got access to Locate X, a phone tracking tool which multiple U.S. agencies have bought access to, and showed me and other journalists exactly what it was capable of. Tracking a phone from one state to another to an abortion clinic. Multiple places of worship. A school. Following a likely juror to a residence. And all of this tracking is possible without a warrant, and instead just a few clicks of a mouse.

  • bitwolf@lemmy.oneEnglish
    5·
    21 days ago

    Considering nearly everything requires a phone number and also rejects VoIP numbers? Yes. A phone is required now to participate in society.

    • LunchMoneyThief@links.hackliberty.orgEnglish
      21·
      21 days ago

      You and I must live in two different societies then. I work with at least two other individuals who also don’t have a cell phone (not just smart phone, but any cellular device), one of whom is also a millennial. My SIP number has never had any issues with online service auth.

      • Entropywins@lemmy.worldEnglish
        5·
        21 days ago

        We absolutely do the society I live in even the homeless have cell phones and I haven’t ran into anyone without one in decades