American immigration and Customs authorities are asking companies to provide information on “commercial big data and advertising technology”. products which would “directly support investigative activities,” according to a request for information published Friday in the Federal Register, the U.S. government’s official journal of agency notices, rulemaking and other public records.
The message says that ICE “works with increasing volumes of criminal, civil, regulatory and administrative documents from numerous internal and external sources.” The agency presents the request as a way to examine the tools currently available to help manage and analyze the information available to ICE, saying it is examining “existing and emerging” products that are “comparable to large providers of investigative data and legal/risk analytics.”
Additionally, the entry states that “the Government seeks to understand the current status of location data and Ad Tech compliance services available to federal investigative and operational entities, taking into account regulatory constraints and privacy expectations of supporting investigative activities.” The filing offers few details beyond this general description: it does not indicate what privacy regulations or standards would apply, nor does it name any specific “Big Data and Ad Tech” services or providers that ICE is interested in.
This appears to be the first time the term “ad tech” has appeared in a request for information, contract solicitation, or contract justification published by ICE in the Federal Register, according to research by WIRED. The request highlights how tools originally developed for digital advertising and other commercial purposes are increasingly being used. being considered intended for use by the government for law enforcement and surveillance purposes.
In an unsigned statement emailed to WIRED, ICE stressed that the filing was for informational and planning purposes only. “Law enforcement agencies across the country are harnessing technological innovation to fight crime. ICE is no different,” the release said. ICE said it uses technology to support investigations and assist in the apprehension of criminals, “while respecting civil liberties and privacy interests.”
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
ICE has previously used the term “big data” in a contract justification for Palantir to provide “unlimited operation and maintenance support for the FALCON system” and unlimited licenses for “Palantir Gotham.” Gotham is Palantir’s standard investigative tool for law enforcement. The company provides a customized version of Gotham to ICE known as the “Investigative Case Management” system. FALCON is a Palantir custom system tool that Uses of ICE to “store, search, analyze and visualize volumes of existing information” on current and past investigations.
ICE has also previously purchased products that provide mobile location data, which is sometimes part of the information provided by companies that buy and sell information collected for online advertising purposes. Ad technology data may include details about the device and applications a person uses, where they are located, and their browsing activity, among other information.
The ICE has bought commercial location data obtained from Webloc, a tool sold by the company Penlink. Webloc allows a user to collect information about mobile phones used in a specific area during a specific period. Users have the option to filter displayed devices by criteria such as whether their location was collected via “GPS, WiFi or IP address” or by their “Apple and Android advertising IDs”, depending on report from 404 Media,
In recent years, ICE has also bought licenses to use Venntel, a data broker and subsidiary of the Gravy Analytics company that collects and sells consumer location data. In a Federal Register entry closing a contract with Venntel last year, ICE said its Enforcement and Removal Operations division used the company’s software “to access/obtain information to accurately identify digital devices.”
The Federal Trade Commission alleged in 2024, Venntel sold sensitive consumer location data without obtaining proper consent from individuals for commercial and government purposes. The FTC subsequently prohibited Gravy Analytics and Venntel “from selling, disclosing, or using sensitive location data except in limited circumstances involving national security or law enforcement.” (Gravy Analytics has neither admitted nor denied any of the allegations made by the FTC.)
ICE’s request for information comes amid a growing federal response to protests in Minneapolis against immigration enforcement operations conducted jointly by ICE and Customs and Border Protection. On Saturday morning, a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident was named Alex Pretti was shot and killed by a CBP officer as federal agents attempted to arrest him. He may have filmed the police before the shooting. Details of the incident are still emerging.
Updated: 01/24/2026, 3:20 p.m. PST: This story has been updated with comments from ICE.
