When Google Android smartphone users are found near a crime scene, the FBI can use a “geofencing warrant” to track their location, according to newly declassified court documents in a U.S. court. Get additional data. On August 23, 2020, police shot and paralyzed Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Two people threw Molotov cocktails at Seattle Police Union Headquarters (SPOG) amid broader protests in Seattle and across the country. While the building wasn’t much damaged, the attack caused widespread concern. Seattle police initially offered a reward of $1,000 for clues, and the FBI later offered a reward of $20,000 for any leads that could help identify those involved.
But the newly declassified documents show that before offering the reward information, the FBI also used a controversial search technique known as a “geofencing warrant” that requires Google to provide information on all Android devices that passed through the area before and after the attack. An unnamed FBI agent said in a court affidavit: “We searched for information that Google currently has, as well as device information related to the target’s location, for good reason.”
The Geofencing Warrant specifically asks for specific information about Android device users, such as “location history data derived from GPS and information transmitted from the device to Google’s visible Wi-Fi points and Bluetooth beacons, reflecting Google’s calculations The device has been or may exist within a geographic area within a range of coordinates, dates and times over a specified latitude and longitude”.
The geographic coordinates provided by the search warrant cover an area of a block that includes the police union building and various other stores, as well as all four street intersections on the edge of the block. The nature of the warrant means that any Android device user who passes through the area during a certain period of time will have their information disclosed by Google to the FBI. Typically, when a “geocriminal warrant” is issued, Google provides an anonymous list of devices that were present in a given area within a given time. Investigators may ask Google for more information if any of those devices belong to the suspects in the case.
Court records show that Google complied with the search warrant. However, the fact that the FBI did not publicly call for information until months after obtaining the search warrant suggests that the information provided by Google does not appear to be helpful in the investigation. A Google spokesperson said: “As with all law enforcement requests, we have rigorous procedures designed to protect the privacy of our users while supporting the important work of law enforcement.” And had to disclose user information.
The use of “geocriminal warrants” has increased rapidly across the United States in recent years. Data released by Google shows that the use of “geocriminal warrants” increased significantly between 2018 and 2020. According to Google’s Transparency Report, the company received 11,554 search warrants in 2020, up from 982 in 2018. Many privacy experts worry that Google could leak more users’ location data to law enforcement.