Tech companies and consumers alike are rightfully concerned about government agencies seeking backdoors into smartphone operating systems. Agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have exclaimed that backdoors can help them crack smartphones that belong to criminal or child predators. On the other hand, companies like Google and Apple claim that it’s a slippery slope that will result in privacy forfeiture and reduced security for everyone.
Today, we have more evidence that shows that the U.S. Government is likely getting its hooks into smartphones around the globe via a well-connected contractor. A new Wall Street Journal report alleges that Anomaly Six, a company that was formed by two U.S. Military vets, is a federal contractor that has managed to get its location data SDK embedded into over 500 mobile applications that are used by hundreds of millions of smartphone owners.
As a federal contractor, Anomaly Six has close ties with both the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. intelligence agencies. The WSJ report goes on to add that the company’s partnership with government agencies is well outside the norm. “Anomaly Six was founded by defense-contracting veterans who worked closely with government agencies for most of their careers and built a company to cater in part to national-security agencies, according to court records and interviews,” the report found.
