ICE seeks ad tech data for investigations, raises privacy concerns

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is exploring the acquisition of data from online advertising and technology brokers to aid its investigative missions. The agency issued a Request for Information (RFI) to gauge the availability of personal, financial, location, and health data, according to a recent report by The Register.

The RFI, released on January 23, 2026, is a market research effort, not a direct solicitation for bids. It aims to understand how data brokers and ad tech companies can provide information to federal investigative entities, considering regulatory constraints and privacy expectations. This initiative follows a similar RFI from October 2025 seeking open-source intelligence and social media data to enhance the targeting capabilities of ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations. Experts suggest this move indicates ICE's intent to leverage commercially available data to circumvent traditional warrant requirements for surveillance, potentially sourcing information from vendors like Venntel or TLOxp.

Privacy advocates express significant concern, arguing that ICE's pursuit of ad tech data represents an end-run around Fourth Amendment protections and erodes public trust. They contend that commercial data acquisition, even if compliant with ad tech industry rules, does not legitimize intrusive surveillance. Proposed legislative solutions, such as the Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act, aim to curb such practices by restricting the government's ability to purchase data that would otherwise require a warrant. While individuals can take steps to limit their data footprint, experts note the increasing difficulty in controlling location data leakage from various sources, including vehicles.

Source: The Register