Nebraska Firm Supplying ICE with Surveillance Tech

Penlink's tools allow ICE to track cellphone locations without a warrant during crackdowns

Published on Mar. 2, 2026

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is using surveillance tools owned by a Nebraska company, Penlink, including one that allows ICE to track cellphone locations without a warrant. Penlink's tools, such as Tangles and Webloc, are being used by ICE during high-profile crackdowns in cities like Minneapolis. While law enforcement officials argue these tools access publicly available data, civil liberties advocates say they enable warrantless surveillance and data collection that is ripe for abuse.

Why it matters

The use of Penlink's surveillance tools by ICE raises concerns about privacy and civil liberties, as the tools allow the agency to track individuals' movements and activities without obtaining a warrant. This highlights the broader debate around the balance between public safety and individual rights in the digital age.

The details

Penlink, a digital intelligence company founded in Lincoln in the 1980s, has long provided technology to law enforcement agencies. Its data analytics tool, PLX, is used by Nebraska agencies to organize and analyze data from sources like cellphone records and social media. However, ICE recently signed a $2.3 million contract to use two additional Penlink tools: Tangles, which scrapes information from the internet, and Webloc, which allows users to track the movements of specific phones without a warrant.

  • Penlink was founded in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1987.
  • In 1993, Penlink was awarded a contract with the federal Drug Enforcement Agency.
  • Penlink was sold by founder Mike Murman in 2013.
  • In 2022, the New York-based private equity firm Spire Capital became the controlling investors in Penlink.
  • In 2023, Penlink acquired the cyber intelligence company Cobwebs, adding the Tangles and Webloc tools to its suite of software.

The players

Penlink

A digital intelligence company founded in Lincoln, Nebraska in the 1980s that provides technology and data analytics tools to law enforcement agencies.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

The federal law enforcement agency that has contracted with Penlink to use its Tangles and Webloc surveillance tools.

Mike Murman

The founder of Penlink, who sold the company in 2013 and now owns Glacial Till Vineyard in Ashland and Palmyra.

Aaron Hanson

The Douglas County Sheriff, who has stated that law enforcement should have access to publicly available data that is already being sold to other entities.

Beryl Lipton

A senior investigative researcher with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit focused on civil liberties in the digital era, who has expressed concerns about the types of data Penlink's tools can access.

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What they’re saying

“If it's publicly accessible to anybody, it should be publicly accessible to law enforcement. If it's not, then law enforcement needs to pursue a warrant.”

— Aaron Hanson, Douglas County Sheriff (Flatwater Free Press)

“The Penlink platform at this point functions as something like a data aggregator and searcher, but the types of data it pulls together are a bit sketchier than I think people would expect.”

— Beryl Lipton, Senior Investigative Researcher, Electronic Frontier Foundation (Flatwater Free Press)

What’s next

The use of Penlink's surveillance tools by ICE is likely to face continued scrutiny and legal challenges from civil liberties advocates, who argue that the tools enable warrantless surveillance and data collection that violates individual privacy rights.

The takeaway

This case highlights the ongoing tension between public safety and civil liberties in the digital age, as law enforcement agencies seek to leverage new technologies to aid their investigations, while privacy advocates raise concerns about the potential for abuse and overreach. The outcome of this debate will have significant implications for the future of surveillance and data privacy in the United States.