EPIC Seeks Documents Concerning ICE’s Use of Social Media Spyware

EPIC submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) concerning their contracts for SocialNet, a software sold by the spyware firm ShadowDragon. SocialNet combines and analyzes data from social media and other websites to create detailed profiles of individuals. The software can allow ICE to learn intimate details about their targets—the identities of their family members, their educational and travel history, their utility bills, and even where they purchase things like gas and coffee. EPIC routinely advocates for social media privacy and against ICE surveillance, including recently settling a lawsuit against ICE concerning its use of Palantir’s technology to link social network, location, and personal identifying data to individuals.