{"id":19424,"date":"2025-05-26T15:44:20","date_gmt":"2025-05-26T13:44:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kordon.app\/?p=19424"},"modified":"2025-05-26T15:49:19","modified_gmt":"2025-05-26T13:49:19","slug":"no-warrant-no-problem-how-governments-are-building-the-surveillance-super-app","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kordon.app\/et\/no-warrant-no-problem-how-governments-are-building-the-surveillance-super-app\/","title":{"rendered":"No Warrant, No Problem: How Governments Are Building the Surveillance Super App"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

As a cybersecurity person, I don\u2019t remember the last time I freaked out like this over a news item. Then again… now that I think about it, of course this is a thing. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

According to The Intercept <\/a>the U.S. government is putting together a massive database of commercially available information (CAI) \u2014 bought up from data brokers, stitched together, and made searchable through a slick new AI interface. Don’t get me wrong, they are already using this data without warrants, they are now just making it better by combining all databse into one and adding a better AI interface. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That sounds boring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s full-blown Big Brother with a Terms of Service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

What is “Commercially Available Information”?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the breadcrumbs we all leave behind, every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • When you click \u201cAccept\u201d<\/strong> on a cookie banner.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • When you agree to a privacy policy<\/strong> without? reading it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • When you download an app, turn on Bluetooth, or use the same email to sign into dozens of sites.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
    \n

    A little location data here. A hint of health data there. Your email tied to your interests, habits, and movement.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    And yes \u2014 data brokers have no trouble at all<\/strong> connecting your home laptop to your mobile phone, and to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n\n\n

    Why This Is a Problem?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Because the kind of data this system collects \u2014 where you go, who you talk to, what you care about<\/strong> \u2014 is exactly the kind of information governments once needed a warrant<\/strong> to get. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That\u2019s the bar we set when surveillance required cause, oversight, and judicial approval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n

    But now? If it\u2019s collected commercially \u2014 even passively \u2014 and sold through a broker, the government can buy<\/strong> it instead. No warrant. No judge. No notice.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    And now they\u2019re building a centralized government platform<\/strong> to streamline the entire process. We don’t know if and which governmens <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n\n\n

    If I were the product manager for that system, here are some reusable queries I\u2019d build:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Show me where Jaana is right now.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Overlay the map with locations she visited in the last 30 days.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Summarize her political views.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Who does she live with, and who does she regularly meet?<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Does she attend religious services, activist events, or therapy?<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • What time does she usually leave for work? <\/strong>When does she get home?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Who else was at the protest with her on March 3rd?<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Has her behavior changed recently?<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Flag signs of distress, instability, or dissent.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      And then, let\u2019s go deeper:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      • Run a simulation<\/strong>: If Jaana disappeared today, who would notice first, and how would they respond over the next 72 hours?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Rank her trusted contacts<\/strong> by likelihood of influencing her under pressure.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Model the minimum set of events<\/strong> needed to trigger a major behavioral shift \u2014 a resignation, relocation, or radicalization.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
        \n\n\n\n
        \n

        This isn\u2019t surveillance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        It\u2019s a control panel<\/strong> for individual human lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        And it\u2019s being built \u2014 quietly, efficiently, and legally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Let that sink in.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

        \n\n\n\n

        What Can You Do to Protect Yourself?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        You can\u2019t disappear completely, but you can make yourself harder to profile and track. Here are a few steps that actually help:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • Don\u2019t accept cookies by default<\/strong>: Use browser extensions that reject cookie prompts or default to \u201creject all\u201d where possible.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Use email aliases<\/strong>: Services like SimpleLogin or Apple Mail Relay let you use unique emails for different logins, breaking the linkage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Reset your mobile ad ID regularly<\/strong> (in iOS or Android settings) to reduce cross-app tracking.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Use privacy-first browsers and tools<\/strong>: Try Firefox with containers, Brave, or DuckDuckGo. Safari also includes robust anti-tracking protections by default.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Block tracking scripts and ad networks<\/strong>: Tools like uBlock Origin, Pi-hole, or NextDNS filter out surveillance infrastructure at the DNS or browser level.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Turn off Bluetooth when you\u2019re not using it<\/strong> and avoid apps that constantly ask for background location access.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Uninstall apps you don\u2019t use<\/strong> \u2014 especially those that request broad access to sensors or data.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Be mindful of what you share and where<\/strong>: Health data, political views, and location data can be inferred from what seems like unrelated activity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          And most importantly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n
          • Audit your own footprint<\/strong>. What would someone know about you just by your email, ad ID, or location trail? That\u2019s the profile governments can now buy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

            Even if you can\u2019t stop the data economy, you can make yourself a lot harder to plug into it.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            The U.S. Government is building a super app to monitor everyone without warrants. Where are they getting the data from and how can we protect ourselves?<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19435,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kordon.app\/et\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kordon.app\/et\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kordon.app\/et\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kordon.app\/et\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kordon.app\/et\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19424"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/kordon.app\/et\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19424\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19437,"href":"https:\/\/kordon.app\/et\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19424\/revisions\/19437"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kordon.app\/et\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19435"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kordon.app\/et\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kordon.app\/et\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kordon.app\/et\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}