Your Phone Is Not Safe, as Ice Uses These Three Tech to Scrape Private Data From Users

Encrypted messages on Signal or WhatsApp may not be as private as users believe, with new surveillance technology enabling government agencies to read them in real-time. While most people assume their digital footprint is relatively secure, a new wave of surveillance technology suggests otherwise.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has reportedly embarked on a massive 'surveillance shopping spree', purchasing advanced tools that can bypass encryption, scrape social media for sentiment, and scan faces against a database of millions. The agency's budget has reportedly tripled to £22.4 billion ($30 billion) following the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Spyware Contract Cracking Encrypted Apps

At the forefront of this digital arsenal is a renewed contract with the spyware manufacturer Paragon. ICE has reportedly resumed a £1.5 million ($2 million) agreement to utilise Graphite, a potent spyware tool capable of infiltrating the most secure corners of a smartphone.

Unlike traditional wiretaps, Graphite does not simply intercept calls; it harvests data directly from the device's memory. This technology allows agents to read messages from encrypted applications such as Signal and WhatsApp without the user's knowledge.

The so-called 'end-to-end encryption' that millions trust to keep conversations private does not help if someone breaks into the device itself. This represents a major change in how surveillance works, with agencies now actively accessing the private communications of individuals, even those who have not been accused of any serious crime.

AI Turns Digital Footprints Into Profiles

ICE is also using artificial intelligence to monitor behaviour on a large scale. The agency has entered into a £3.1 million ($4.2 million) contract with Fivecast for a tool known as ONYX.

This system is designed to conduct automated, continuous collection of multimedia data across the internet, including social media platforms, chat rooms, and the dark web. ONYX does not just look for keywords; it uses AI to track shifts in 'sentiment and emotion', building detailed digital footprints of individuals based on their online activity.

The software digs through past posts and social circles to identify anyone it deems might have 'violent tendencies' or holds a grudge against the agency. This effectively creates a pre-emptive surveillance state where an individual's online tone could trigger a real-world investigation.

Biometric Scans and Budget Expansion

The third pillar of this surveillance expansion involves biometric data. ICE agents are reportedly using a tool called Mobile Fortify to scan the faces of people they stop in the street. The software instantly compares captured images against a massive database of 200 million photos to check a person's legal status.

A new £7.5 million ($10 million) contract with Clearview AI gives them even more power to identify people using facial recognition data pulled from the open web. This major tech upgrade is backed by a huge influx of cash. Since the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed, reports indicate that ICE's budget has tripled to £22.4 billion ($30 billion).

To manage this influx of data, the agency employs Palantir, a firm described as the 'plumbers' of the surveillance world. Under a £22.4 million ($30 million) contract, Palantir's Immigration OS integrates these disparate data streams—biometrics, social media dossiers, and spyware extraction—into a single, searchable interface for agents.

For those interested in the visual breakdown of these technologies, you can watch the full report here. Once these systems are fully active, the line separating public life from private data basically disappears. It leaves everyone, citizens and non-citizens alike, open to a level of government monitoring we haven't seen before.