POLITICS
Thomson Reuters Cashes In on $125M US ICE Data Deal
Canada's richest family is making a fortune letting US immigration enforcement rifle through your digital footprint.
The GuardianUS Immigration and Customs Enforcement is paying Canadian media and tech conglomerate Thomson Reuters $125 million to access its Clear database for continuous monitoring of millions. The deal has sparked demands from federal opposition leaders for Mark Carney's government to block the contract.
- US ICE is paying US$125m to Thomson Reuters to access the Clear database for 'immigration and voter fraud' detection.
- The Clear database tracks property records, social media, and continuous geolocation data on millions of people.
- Thomson Reuters is owned by the Woodbridge Company, holding company for the Thomson family, Canada's richest family.
- NDP leader Avi Lewis called on Ottawa to block the deal, stating that corporate complicity with ICE should be illegal.
WHY THIS MATTERSWHY THIS MATTERS: Every piece of data you scatter online—location check-ins, property records, social posts—is being packaged and sold to foreign law enforcement agencies. If you thought your digital footprint stayed local, think again.