TL;DR: On January 15, 2026, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison released a consumer alert warning that ICE is using data brokers to track people through their online activity, phone apps, smart devices, and even vehicles. The AG's office launched a new reporting tool at ag.state.mn.us/Federal-Action to document ICE activity for the state's lawsuit against DHS. Bottom line: your weather app might be ratting you out to immigration enforcement.
The Warning
Minnesota's Attorney General isn't just suing DHS. He's warning you that you're probably already in their database.
On January 15, AG Keith Ellison released a consumer alert specifically about ICE's digital surveillance capabilities. The message is blunt: federal agents are using data brokers to track people, and the data comes from places you'd never suspect.[1][2]
The sources feeding ICE's surveillance machine include:
- Phone apps: Even your weather app collects location data and sells it
- Online activity: Browsing history, searches, social media
- Smart devices: Your Ring doorbell, smart TV, fitness tracker
- Vehicles: Connected cars share location and driving data
Data brokers vacuum this up, build profiles, and sell to whoever pays, including federal agencies that don't need warrants to buy it.
The Data Broker Pipeline
Here's how you end up in ICE's crosshairs without knowing it:
- You download a free app (weather, games, shopping)
- App requests location permission, you tap "Allow" without reading
- App sells your location data to data brokers
- Brokers aggregate data from multiple apps into detailed profiles
- ICE buys access to those profiles
- Agents can now track where you live, work, worship, and visit
No warrant needed. No court approval. Just a credit card and a contract, the same ad-data pipeline that lets tools like Webloc track 500 million phones.
Ellison's alert specifically calls out that "interacting with a weather app can lead to information being stored with a data broker."[1] That's not hyperbole. Location data companies like X-Mode (now Outlogic) have been caught selling data from Muslim prayer apps. Fog Data Science sells access to billions of location pings to police departments, no subpoenas required.
AG Ellison's Privacy Checklist
The Minnesota AG's office recommends these specific steps:[2][3]
Use Privacy-Focused Browsers
Firefox with strict tracking protection, or Brave. Not Chrome. Chrome is an advertising company's product.
Disable Location Services
Go to Settings → Privacy → Location. Turn it off for every app that doesn't absolutely need it. Your weather app can use your zip code instead.
Use Secure Messaging
Signal. Not SMS. Not iMessage. Signal.
Limit What You Share Online
Every bit of personal info you post becomes searchable, aggregatable, sellable. Minimize your digital footprint.
Keep Software Updated
Security patches close holes. Old software = open doors.
Review Privacy Settings Regularly
Apps update. Defaults change. Check your settings quarterly at minimum.
Physical Device Security
The AG's office added something many privacy guides miss: disable biometric authentication.[2]
Why? You can be compelled to unlock your phone with your face or fingerprint. A PIN or password requires you to actually provide it, and you have the right to refuse. In an ICE encounter, that distinction matters.
- Disable FaceID and TouchID
- Use a strong alphanumeric password (not a simple PIN)
- Consider a secondary device for sensitive activities
The New Reporting Tool
The AG's office launched a form to report ICE activity:
ag.state.mn.us/Federal-Action
The state is collecting reports of:[4]
- Constitutional rights violations (racial profiling, excessive force, retaliation)
- Business closures related to federal action
- Reduced access to healthcare or education
- Public safety impacts
- Federal funding cuts to Minnesota programs
Governor Tim Walz was explicit about why: they're building a database for "future prosecution."[4]
The AG's office specifically asks people to avoid submitting rumors or unverified information. They want first-hand accounts with specific details: documentation that can support the state's lawsuit against DHS and potential future legal action against individual agents.
The Bigger Picture
This alert comes three days after Minnesota filed a federal lawsuit calling ICE's Operation Metro Surge a "federal invasion." The state isn't just fighting in court. They're arming residents with information and tools to protect themselves.
It also connects to the Minnesota Consumer Data Privacy Act, which took effect July 31, 2025. That law gives Minnesota residents the right to:
- Know what data companies collect about them
- Delete their personal data
- Opt out of data sales
Ellison's office is telling residents to actually use these rights. Delete data held by companies you don't interact with. Cut off the supply chain that feeds federal surveillance.
What This Means for You
A state attorney general is officially warning residents that the federal government is using commercial data to track people. Think about that.
This isn't conspiracy theory. This is the chief law enforcement officer of Minnesota telling you: your apps are feeding data to brokers, and those brokers are selling to ICE.
The surveillance state isn't just about cameras and cell site simulators. It's about the data exhaust from your everyday digital life being weaponized against you, or your neighbors, your coworkers, your community.
Take the AG's advice. Audit your apps. Disable location tracking. Use encrypted communications. And if you witness ICE activity in Minnesota, report it.
The state is fighting back. They're asking you to help.
References
- Minnesota AG Office - Consumer Alert on DHS Digital Surveillance (January 15, 2026)
- WDIO - AG Ellison Issues Alert on DHS Surveillance and Data Privacy (January 2026)
- Fox 9 - Minnesota AG Warns on DHS Digital Privacy Risks (January 2026)
- KTTC - AG Ellison Announces Form to Report ICE Activity (January 16, 2026)