Who buys surveillance.
Follow the public record from an agency's purchase or disclosure to the scrutiny and decisions that followed.
An initial, documented collection
A curated starting set of U.S. procurement, agency disclosures and oversight records. It is not a complete inventory of surveillance purchases.
- Records
- 7
- Dated entries
- 13
- Sources
- 11
Sources reviewed Sep 9, 2026. Event dates are shown separately.
Featured record / ATF
ATF’s reported decision to end its Webloc contract
A congressional announcement reports that ATF decided to terminate a Penlink Webloc contract and review other vendors’ use of advertising-derived data.
Termination decision reported
Lawmakers report the agency’s decision. A contract modification confirming termination and its effective date has not been located in this collection.
Read the timeline and sourcesExplore the records
7 of 7 records
Oversight CBP
CBP’s retrospective commercial telemetry assessment
CBP’s 2024 privacy assessment describes an earlier evaluation, an end to new vendor collection, and continued use of retained data.
Recommendation listed as closed
As of Sep 9, 2026
Product: Not named in the source
2 primary sources linked
Oversight DHS, CBP, ICE, Secret Service
DHS telemetry audit and the policy recommendation that remains open
A DHS inspector-general audit found privacy-process failures before commercial telemetry procurement and use. The department-wide policy recommendation remains open in the checked tracker.
Policy recommendation listed as open
As of Sep 9, 2026
Product: Not named in the source
4 primary sources linked
Procurement ICE
ICE’s Cobweb and Tangles license award
A federal purchase-order record identifies Pen-Link, Ltd. and licenses for Cobweb and Tangles. Its description does not name Webloc.
Award record verified
As of Sep 9, 2026
Product: Cobweb, Tangles
1 primary source linked
Procurement ATF
ATF’s reported decision to end its Webloc contract
A congressional announcement reports that ATF decided to terminate a Penlink Webloc contract and review other vendors’ use of advertising-derived data.
Termination decision reported
As of Jun 26, 2026
Product: Webloc
1 primary source linked
Policy ODNI
Intelligence-community rules for sensitive commercial data
A signed policy sets assessment, approval, safeguarding and reporting requirements for sensitive commercially available information. A February 2025 amendment updates that policy.
Policy and amendment documented
As of Feb 6, 2025
Product: Not named in the source
1 primary source linked
Agency disclosure NSA
NSA’s disclosure of commercial internet metadata purchases
A signed NSA letter confirms purchases of non-content internet netflow, including wholly domestic communications. The same letter distinguishes those purchases from specified phone and vehicle location data.
Historical netflow purchases disclosed
As of Dec 11, 2023
Product: Not named in the source
1 primary source linked
Agency disclosure DIA
DIA’s disclosed funding of commercial geolocation purchases
A January 2021 DIA memorandum says the agency funded another agency’s purchase of smartphone geolocation metadata. The purchasing intermediary and vendor are unnamed.
Historical acquisition disclosed
As of Jan 15, 2021
Product: Not named in the source
1 primary source linked
Read each source for what it establishes
An award records a procurement action. An agency disclosure describes what that agency says it acquired or used. A congressional account can report a decision whose contract modification has not been located. Each event carries its own evidence type.
This collection covers institutions and public decisions. It contains no individual device, location or targeting records. Inclusion does not establish unlawful conduct.
Compilation: CC BY 4.0. Submit a source or correction. Read the method.