A screenshot of the CerCareOne system in action, showing it was used to locate one of the bounty hunter's phones at the Nissan dealership. Image: Motherboard.
Do you know anything else about this case, or about another incident of location data abuse? We'd love to hear from you. Using a non-work phone or computer, you can contact Joseph Cox securely on Signal on +44 20 8133 5190, Wickr on josephcox, OTR chat on jfcox@jabber.ccc.de, or email joseph.cox@vice.com.
Various parties have filed multiple lawsuits related to the shooting. The McIver family—the mother, father, and three children—have sued the Nissan dealership, F.N.G. Security and Investigations, and U.S. Fugitive Recovery and Extradition, the company that hired F.N.G. The lawsuit describes the bounty hunters as "incompetent and/or reckless.""Had any of the Defendants informed the McIver family of Ramon Michael Hutchinson's presence or Defendant's intent to apprehend Ramon Michael Hutchinson, the McIver family would not have come to the dealership, or remained on the premises," a filing from the McIver lawsuit reads."If these recovery agents had lived, they would have lost their license and most likely would have done some federal time for impersonating a federal agent," Valerie McGilvrey, a skiptracer who has bought phone location data in the past, told Motherboard. A skiptracer is someone who finds out where people, often those who owe a debt or a fugitive, are located."I've warned that protecting personal data isn't just about personal privacy, it's about personal safety."
