How ICE Uses Ad Tech and Big Data Tools for Surveillance [2025]

How ICE Uses Ad Tech and Big Data Tools for Surveillance [2025]

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has filed a request asking technology companies to inform them about "commercial Big Data and Ad Tech" products that could support their investigations. This request indicates that the federal government is essentially shopping for the same tools that advertisers use to track individuals online. According to Wired, this move opens the door for ICE to purchase consumer surveillance technology at scale.

TL; DR

• ICE filed a Federal Register request asking tech companies to describe commercial big data and ad tech tools they could use for investigations, as reported by ICE's official documentation.
• Location data is already purchased by ICE from data brokers like Venntel and Penlink, which collect information originally gathered for advertising, according to ACLU.
• Privacy protections are minimal because ad tech data exists in a regulatory gray zone between advertising and government surveillance, as noted by AdExchanger.
• The FTC has already taken action against Venntel for selling sensitive consumer location data without proper consent, but ICE still purchased the product, as documented by Wired.
• This represents a convergence of commercial surveillance infrastructure and government law enforcement, creating unprecedented tracking capabilities, as discussed in Britannica.

Understanding ICE's Big Data Strategy

ICE isn't a new agency; it has been around since 2003, created after the Department of Homeland Security was established. However, the scale of information the agency manages has changed significantly. According to ICE's detention management documentation, they are working with increasing volumes of criminal, civil, and regulatory, administrative documentation from numerous internal and external sources.

Companies like Palantir, which ICE has already been using, specialize in managing massive datasets. Palantir's Gotham platform is designed for law enforcement agencies to turn unorganized data into actionable intelligence. ICE's new request for "Ad Tech and Big Data" tools signals their interest in accessing the same location data, device information, and behavioral tracking data that advertisers use to target people online.

The Ad Tech and Location Data Market

Ad tech platforms collect extensive data points about each person they track, including device identifiers, location data, behavioral data, contextual data, and demographics. This data is collected from multiple sources, such as mobile apps and websites, and is largely invisible to those being tracked. The result is a multi-billion-dollar industry of data brokers and ad tech companies that have profiled millions of people in extraordinary detail, as highlighted by AdAge.

How ICE Has Already Purchased Location Data

ICE has been purchasing commercial location data from vendors like Venntel and Gravy Analytics. Venntel, a data broker, specializes in collecting and selling consumer location data. ICE purchased licenses from Venntel to access information that helps identify digital devices, as reported by WebProNews.

In 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took action against Gravy Analytics and Venntel for selling sensitive consumer location data without proper consent, as documented by ACLU. Despite these allegations, the FTC's enforcement action didn't prohibit ICE from continuing to use Venntel data.

Understanding Palantir's Role in ICE Investigations

Before ICE can analyze ad tech and location data, they need a platform to ingest and organize it. That's where Palantir comes in. ICE uses Palantir's Gotham platform, which is designed to take unorganized data from multiple sources and help investigators find patterns and connections, as noted by Britannica.

The Federal Register Filing and What It Signals

ICE's formal request for information about ad tech tools signals a formal procurement process. The filing indicates ICE's interest in "Ad Tech compliant and location data services," as reported by Politico.

Privacy and Consent Issues in Commercial Surveillance Data

When someone allows an app to access their location, they're technically consenting to that. However, the consent is often implicit, buried in privacy policies, and people don't understand the implications. The consent model breaks down at scale, as discussed by ACLU.

The Minneapolis Connection and Real-World Implications

The timing of ICE's ad tech request comes in the context of escalating federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis. These operations involved workplace raids, targeted arrests, and street enforcement, as reported by CBC.

Regulatory Gaps and Enforcement Actions Against Data Brokers

The regulatory framework around ad tech data and location data is fragmented and incomplete. The FTC has the broadest mandate under Section 5 of the FTC Act, which allows the agency to take action against "unfair or deceptive" business practices, as noted by ACLU.

How Data Aggregation Works in Ad Tech

Understanding where location data comes from is important to understanding how comprehensive it is. Location data in ad tech comes from multiple sources, including mobile apps, websites, Wi Fi signals, Bluetooth beacons, and GPS signals. This data is aggregated by ad tech companies into a single profile per device, as explained by Wired.

The Palantir and Ad Tech Integration Problem

The real power comes when you combine Palantir's data integration capabilities with ad tech data at scale. Palantir is designed to ingest data from multiple sources and create a unified investigative picture, as noted by Britannica.

Legal Frameworks Governing Government Access to Commercial Data

When government agencies purchase commercial data, many traditional protections don't apply. The Third Party Doctrine suggests that information shared with a third party has reduced privacy protection, as explained by ACLU.

Transparency Gaps and Lack of Public Oversight

One of the most concerning aspects of government surveillance through commercial data is the lack of transparency. ICE's Federal Register filing is unusual in that it's public, as noted by Wired.

International Comparisons and Stricter Frameworks

The United States' approach to government access to commercial surveillance data is notably permissive compared to some other democracies. Europe, in particular, has implemented significantly stricter frameworks, as highlighted by Politico.

Impact on Immigrant Communities and Targeted Populations

The real-world impact of this surveillance infrastructure falls disproportionately on specific communities. Immigrant communities, communities of color, political activists, and other marginalized groups are at highest risk, as discussed by ACLU.

Technological Resistance and Mitigation Strategies

At a personal level, some technological approaches can reduce tracking, such as disabling advertising identifiers and using VPNs, as suggested by Wired.

Future of Government Surveillance Technology

ICE's request for information about ad tech and big data tools signals the direction of government surveillance technology. If ICE successfully integrates ad tech data with Palantir's analytical capabilities, that creates a template that other agencies will follow, as noted by Wired.

What Should Change: Policy Recommendations

Addressing this situation requires action at multiple levels. Congress should require government agencies to obtain a warrant before accessing location data held by commercial vendors, as recommended by ACLU.

Conclusion

ICE's Federal Register filing for commercial ad tech and big data tools represents a significant escalation in government surveillance capability. It signals that immigration enforcement will increasingly rely on purchasing commercial surveillance data rather than conducting traditional investigations, as reported by Wired.