Hemisphere Project
[5] In 2013, activist Drew Hendricks brought the Hemisphere Project to public attention by obtaining a verified 27-slide PowerPoint presentation labeled "law enforcement sensitive" through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.While law enforcement initially portrayed the project as primarily focused on monitoring and collecting call records related to drug-related activities in standard criminal investigations,[5] it included individuals unrelated to drug offenses.These individuals encompassed cases such as a person impersonating a military general, injuring an intelligence officer at a San Diego Navy facility; a South Carolina resident accused of making bomb threats; and a group involved in a theft incident at a Los Angeles jewelry store.[2][7] The White House contended that the Hemisphere Project's data did not raise privacy concerns, although Jameel Jaffer of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) expressed skepticism regarding this claim.[2] In November 2023, a WIRED report disclosed that the Hemisphere Project, now known as Data Analytical Services (DAS), has facilitated access to an unprecedented volume of domestic phone records within the United States, even for individuals unconnected to criminal activities.
mass surveillancetelecommunications companyWhite HouseOffice of National Drug Control PolicyDrug Enforcement Administration (DEA)public–private partnershipOffice of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA)metadataexchangesCall detail recordspartnershipactivistPowerPoint presentationFreedom of Information Actlaw enforcementdrug-relatedcriminal investigationsSan DiegoSouth Carolinabomb threatsLos Angelesprivacy concernsJameel JafferAmerican Civil Liberties UnionAdam SchiffUnited Statescriminal activitiesSenator Ron WydenU.S. Attorney GeneralMerrick Garlandphone recordsdata accessMass surveillance in the United StatesThe New York TimesSullivan, EileenAssociated PressDemocracy Now!