US Customs and Border Protection officers used powerful government surveillance databases to spy on family members, attempt to solicit dates, and in some cases provide intelligence to suspected drug traffickers, according to freedom of information files reviewed by Wired.
As Engadget reported, the FOIA files cover incidents ranging from 2009 to 2022 and show a pattern of misuse involving electronic databases that can draw from sources including license plate readers, facial recognition systems, and smartphone searches.
The specific incidents documented in the files are detailed. One CBP officer allegedly used a government database to contact a flight attendant. Another was accused of using data from trusted-traveler applications to ask people out. One employee provided border-crossing data to someone involved in a divorce proceeding. Another abused internal policies by tracking coworkers' cellphones using ad-tech-derived location data.
Of the 300 incidents tracked by Wired, 138 were referred to CBP management and 78 were assigned to criminal investigators. Forty-three others received no investigation at all. Many of the claims were handled internally or placed under the category of minor misconduct. Twenty-one were withheld due to potential law-enforcement proceedings, a classification that suggests criminal misconduct was involved.
The report comes as the Department of Homeland Security holds more access to private citizens' data than at any previous point in its history. Its surveillance sources include records on immigration arrests, border screening records, naturalization applications, and the SENTRI trusted-traveler program. The agency also has access to Palantir's ICM and FALCON systems and the DHS Mobile Fortify facial-recognition app, which is deployed on agents' phones.
CBP responded to Wired's reporting with a statement saying it takes misconduct allegations seriously and works to "uphold the rule of law and hold ourselves accountable... [and takes] appropriate investigatory, corrective, and disciplinary action."
