The U.S. government hired Anomaly 6 to investigate the neurological illnesses known as Havana Syndrome [1].
The partnership is significant because Anomaly 6 previously marketed its ability to track high-level intelligence officials. The integration of a private surveillance firm into a sensitive government task force raises questions about the intersection of private intelligence and national security.
Havana Syndrome consists of a set of neurological illnesses experienced by U.S. personnel in Cuba and diplomats in other countries [1]. The government is seeking to determine the cause of these symptoms, which have affected personnel across various international posts.
According to The Intercept, Anomaly 6 boasts its phone-tracking technology can pinpoint CIA and NSA officials [1]. The firm is now part of a government task force dedicated to examining the syndrome [1].
Reports indicate the company was brought in to apply its specialized tracking and surveillance capabilities to the investigation [1]. This move comes as the U.S. continues to struggle with a definitive explanation for the incidents that first surfaced in Havana.
"Now it's part of a government ‘Havana syndrome’ task force," The Intercept said [1].
“Anomaly 6 boasts its phone-tracking technology can pinpoint CIA and NSA officials.”
The recruitment of Anomaly 6 suggests the U.S. government is prioritizing technical signals intelligence and geolocation data to solve the Havana Syndrome mystery. By employing a firm that explicitly claims the ability to track the CIA and NSA, the government is leveraging aggressive private-sector surveillance tools to identify potential external actors or patterns of movement associated with the attacks.
