Customs and Border Protection Have Bought Themselves a GrayKey ⇥ twitter.com

Yesterday, I linked to a story about the use by guards of the border between China and Kyrgyzstan using a device to exfiltrate iPhone users’ data. Though it is a tangential issue, I did not mention that, last year, I sent a FOIA request to the Department of Homeland Security to ask if they owned a GrayKey or had any of its marketing materials. I received a response at the time stating that they did not have anything of the sort.

Now, though, they do. Thomas Brewster noted today that Customs and Border Protection acquired a GrayKey last month. Brewster has written extensively about the capabilities of the GrayKey system. I think it is also notable that, since last month, applicants for U.S. visas have been required to reveal five years’ worth of social media profiles, phone numbers, and email addresses.