How They Tracked the Trump Shooter's Phone

Summary

The video delves into the controversial tracking of Thomas Matthew Crooks' phone movements prior to a failed assassination attempt, revealing his visits to a gun shop and near an FBI office. It critiques the use of 'mobile ad data' for tracking, exposing the opaque data trade and potential for privacy invasion. The script also covers a North Korean hacker's charges linked to APT45 ransomware attacks, and the FBI's takedown of a Russian bot farm allegedly tied to RT, which was spreading AI-generated propaganda.

Takeaways

• 🕵️‍♂️ Researchers have tracked the movements of Thomas Matthew Crooks using his phone's 'mobile ad data', which raises privacy concerns.
• 📱 'Mobile ad data' is often collected by apps that sell your GPS coordinates to third parties, creating a web of your movements for targeted ads.
• 🌐 The trade of location data is opaque, with data brokers having minimal online presence before selling the data to unknown entities.
• 🔒 Despite being anonymized with an 'ad ID', de-anonymizing location data sets can be surprisingly easy, potentially revealing personal identities.
• 🔎 The researchers from the 'Oversight Project' identified Crooks by tracking devices that regularly visited his home and workplace.
• 🤔 There is skepticism about the accuracy of the analysis, as it claims to link at least 9 devices to the ad IDs, while Crooks only had 2 phones.
• 🛡️ DeleteMe is a service that helps individuals take control of their personal data, which is often exploited by data brokers.
• 🇰🇵 A North Korean has been charged for involvement in the hacking group APT45, which has been active since 2009 and recently expanded into ransomware.
• 🏥 APT45 targeted a hospital in Kansas, deploying Maui ransomware and successfully extorted bitcoin, which was traced back to North Korea.
• 💡 The FBI and Western intelligence agencies have identified a Russian bot farm spreading AI-generated propaganda, allegedly linked to RT.
• 🤖 The bot farm used software to create fake personas and post pro-Russian, anti-Ukrainian propaganda, but it appears to have had limited success.

Q & A

How did researchers track Thomas Matthew Crooks' movements leading up to the failed assassination attempt?

Researchers tracked Thomas Matthew Crooks' movements using 'mobile ad data', which is typically collected by apps that grab GPS coordinates and sell them to third-party companies for targeted advertising.

What is the controversy surrounding the use of 'mobile ad data'?

The controversy lies in the opaque trade of this data, the potential for abuse, and the ease with which anonymized data can be de-anonymized, raising privacy concerns.

What is the role of data brokers in the context of 'mobile ad data'?

Data brokers collect and aggregate location data, often with a small online presence, and sell it to various entities, which can include advertisers or even researchers.

How did the researchers identify Thomas Matthew Crooks' phone among other devices?

The researchers identified Crooks' phone by tracking devices that regularly visited both his home and place of work, then observing where else those 'ad IDs' pinged from.

What is the Oversight Project, and what is its affiliation?

The Oversight Project is a part of the conservative think tank, the Heritage Foundation, which focuses on analyzing and scrutinizing various issues, including those related to privacy and data tracking.

Why was there skepticism about the analysis of the mobile ad data?

Skepticism arose because the researchers claimed there were at least 9 devices linked to the 'ad-IDs', while Crooks only had 2 phones, suggesting potential inaccuracies in the analysis.

What is DeleteMe, and how does it help individuals with their personal data?

DeleteMe is a service that helps individuals take control of their personal data by checking data brokers for their information and sending removal requests on their behalf, protecting them from data misuse.

What is APT45, and what is its connection to North Korea?

APT45 is a North Korean hacking group that reports to the RGB, North Korea's intelligence agency, and is involved in espionage campaigns against government agencies and defense companies.

How did the FBI trace the activities of the North Korean hacker 'Rim Jong Hyok'?

The FBI traced Rim Jong Hyok by obtaining the recovery address associated with a ProtonMail account mentioned in a ransom note, which led to a Yahoo account that was used for communication and planning ransomware attacks.

What is the significance of the Russian bot farm identified by the FBI?

The Russian bot farm, allegedly linked to RT, was used to spread AI-generated propaganda, indicating a shift towards using automated means for information distribution and influence.

How effective was the Russian bot farm's campaign in spreading propaganda?

The campaign does not appear to have been very effective, as evidenced by the low engagement on the posted content, suggesting that the bots may have primarily interacted with each other.