ICE's Tool to Monitor Phones in Neighborhoods

ICE killing, race, and political fallout

• Many commenters call for dissolving ICE and prosecuting/debarring agents, seeing the recent Minneapolis shooting as a tipping point that finally galvanized broader (and whiter) public concern.
• Others argue attention is still lower when police shoot non‑white people, and that the victim’s whiteness is central to why this case resonated.
• There’s sharp disagreement over whether she was a “random citizen” or a politically involved “legal observer” whose background is being selectively framed by different “power centers.”
• Several expect the FBI investigation to protect ICE, not expose wrongdoing; some compare the FBI’s role to media “catch and kill.” Many doubt the shooters will face serious consequences.

Legitimacy of force and partisan asymmetry

• One side sees ICE and current federal leadership as a “fascist” project using a paramilitary force against citizens and immigrants, with killings rationalized as anti‑terrorism.
• A minority defends the presumption that federal agents can enforce laws and suggests protesters share some responsibility for being in confrontational situations.
• Long back‑and‑forth over “both sides”: some argue cycles of revenge/prosecution will worsen polarization; others say past leniency (e.g., after Jan 6) created today’s impunity, so aggressive accountability is necessary.
• Obama’s deportation record is invoked to argue continuity of tactics; opponents respond that today’s rhetoric, theatrics, and impunity are qualitatively different.

Surveillance tech, data brokers, and scope

• Discussion notes this ICE tool fits into a decades‑long expansion of surveillance (IMSI catchers, geofencing, Google Location Services).
• According to quoted article text, location comes from app SDKs and ad RTB; some argue careful permission management (“shady apps” denied location) gives decent protection, others say the combinatorics of many apps and dark patterns make leakage likely.
• Fear that US surveillance now resembles what’s been reported in foreign conflict zones; some speculate tech paths from foreign use to domestic law enforcement.

Avoidance, protests, and tradeoffs

• Suggested mitigations: dumbphones; phones off or in Faraday pouches; airplane mode; no‑SIM devices; de‑Googled or Graphene‑based phones; anonymous SIMs; or leaving phones home and using separate cameras.
• Others stress limitations: towers can locate any active modem; SIM‑less phones still identify via IMEI; iPhones can broadcast even when “off” unless explicitly disabled; anonymous hardware is easily deanonymized by movement patterns and contacts.
• Debate over protest tactics:
  • “No phone” camp prioritizes avoiding tracking and future prosecutions.
  • “Bring phone” camp prioritizes livestreaming and rapid off‑device evidence, even at higher personal risk.
• Alternatives mentioned: dedicated cameras, Eye‑Fi‑style cards, ham/FRS radios, LoRa mesh systems (Meshtastic, Meshcore), Bluetooth mesh chat, IMSI‑catcher detectors.

Civil liberties, ideology, and apathy

• Frustration that the “libertarian right” largely ignores surveillance while obsessing over taxes; some argue only the progressive left is consistently opposing these abuses.
• Others claim most political camps only defend civil liberties for their own in‑group; principled concern is rare.
• Several remark that few people they know have personally felt harmed by surveillance, which helps explain public complacency despite “1984”–style capabilities.

Meta: information control and access

• Commenters complain 404 Media is effectively shadowbanned on HN and has a hard paywall, limiting visibility of this reporting.
• Related tools, books, and prior HN threads on ICE’s broader “surveillance shopping spree” are shared for deeper context.