The Texas Department of Public Safety has signed a five-year, $5.3 million contract to procure an artificial intelligence (AI).
This AI surveillance tool has the ability to conduct secret online investigations and monitor devices, as reported by the Texas Observer.
Tangles software was developed by Cobwebs Technologies, an Israeli security company now owned by PenLink. This intelligence solution has the ability to monitor online activity and collect and analyze data from countless digital channels – including the deep web and dark web – as well as mobile and social platforms.
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Meta has previously banned 200 accounts belonging to companies for violating its terms due to online recognition, including on well-known social networking sites .
The accounts used by Cobwebs clients “engaged in social engineering to enter closed communities and forums, attempting to trick people into revealing personal information,” according to Meta’s 2021 report on the surveillance-for-hire industry.
According to a report by the Texas Observer, these surveillance tools include an additional feature called WebLoc, which can track the movement of mobile devices in a selected area without a warrant . This has raised privacy concerns , with proponents arguing that such technology circumvents legal protections against warrantless searches and violates privacy rights.
Tracking tools combine data from various sources, including fixed data brokers. In-app advertisers can leverage significant personal data from smartphones.
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A PenLink spokesperson told the Observer that “open source intelligence (OSINT) solutions are used to protect our communities from crime, threats and cyberattacksby offering seamless access to publicly available data.”
Cobwebs has previously supplied contracts to the IRS and the LAPD, according to Vice. The LAPD has said that the controversial mass surveillance software significantly contributes to investigations, acting as a force multiplier in processing the data it collects.
Source: cybernews
