Location Data Brokers

Babel Street

Babel Street sells OSINT and location-intelligence tools. Its Locate X product, built from commercially available smartphone location data, let government users trace individual phones' movements — including near sensitive places — without a warrant, exploiting the data-broker loophole. Its Babel X social-media tool has been used by CBP to screen travelers; a 2025 Amnesty International report tied it to the surveillance of migrants and pro-Palestinian student protesters, and the company faces New Jersey 'Daniel's Law' litigation over selling protected officials' personal data.

◍ Reston, VirginiaEst. 2009

People & money behind it

Jeff Chapman→Benji Hutchinson→Michael Southworth→Robert Ashley→Ellen McCarthy→David Glaser→Veritas Capital→

Agencies & customers

CBPICEUSSSDoDLocal LE

Products (6)

Locate X→Babel X→Babel Street Insights (Insights Investigator)→Babel Synthesis→Rosette (Babel Street Text Analytics)→Identity & Border Screening (Match)→

Abuses & incidents

Abuse

Tracking phones to an abortion clinic

2024

Reporters used Babel Street's Locate X to trace a phone's movements to and from an abortion clinic — proving warrantless tracking of sensitive visits via ad data.

↳Inside the U.S. Government-Bought Tool That Can Track Phones at Abortion Clinics — 404 Media, 2024 ↗

Investigation

Agencies buy location data to skip warrants

2020

Military and law-enforcement agencies bought access to Locate X to track phones without warrants, exploiting the data-broker loophole around the Fourth Amendment.

↳Means of Control — Byron Tau (Crown), 2024