A Company Has Figured Out a Way to Make Facial ID Invisible To Detect Or See

Metalenz’s Polar ID face-scanning technology works even when the camera is hidden under the display.

We're all too familiar with the notch—the unsightly cut-in that graced many smartphones for years, like the iPhone X or the LG G7.

The notch has largely been replaced on today’s smartphones by floating punch-hole cameras that take up less space and look a little more futuristic, though notches are still prevalent on some laptops, like Apple’s MacBooks.

On the iPhone, Apple calls its floating pill-shaped camera system the Dynamic Island, which debuted on the iPhone 14. The iPhone still has the largest camera cutout today, due to its Face ID biometric authentication system. (Barring Google Pixel phones, the vast majority of Android phones don't offer a secure face authentication equivalent, so they don't need a bulky camera cutout.) This island could get much smaller, however, thanks to new under-display camera technology announced at Display Week 2026 from Metalenz, a optics startup from Boston.

A Primer on Metasurfaces

Metalenz’s optical metasurfaces technology is a flat-lens system that uses a fraction of the space of traditional multi-lens elements in most smartphones. You can read more about it in our original coverage of the company here, but in short, instead of refracting light through multiple plastic or glass lens elements—which improves image clarity, corrects aberrations, and brings more light to the camera sensor—metasurfaces use a single lens with nanostructures to bend light rays toward the sensors.

Metalenz says more than 300 million of its metasurfaces are already used in consumer devices today, replacing bulky traditional optics in time-of-flight sensors that capture depth information and assist with a camera's autofocus.

The company also pioneered a method to use these metasurfaces to capture polarization data. When light hits an object with specific material properties, it creates a unique polarization signature. Light reflecting off black ice has a different polarization signature from light reflecting off the road. Using machine learning algorithms, this enables a system that can quickly identify black ice on the road and alert the driver.

That's why the company developed Polar ID, a facial authentication platform to rival Apple's Face ID. With polarization data, its sensors can distinguish a real face from someone wearing an eerily accurate 3D mask of the same person, because the polarization information from light bouncing off a human's skin is unique compared to light bouncing off the silicone of the mask. Yes, it's even more secure than Google's face unlock system on Pixels, which can be spoofed with a high-quality 3D mask.

Metalenz announced a partnership with Qualcomm in late 2023 to scale it up, and now this Polar ID face-recognition system is finally ready for mass production. It will be deployed on consumer devices—laptops and smartphones—in 2027. Its rollout could mean that Android finally gets a Face ID equivalent, with components that use less space than Apple's TrueDepth camera system, and unlike Google's face unlock, it isn’t affected by bright light or dim environments.

“We've now proven with multiple third parties that have done testing that we meet the highest security standards they have in terms of performance, in terms of keeping out masks and any mask of any quality,” Rob Devlin, CEO of Metalenz, tells WIRED.

But the next step? Making those components disappear from view.

The Under-Display Camera

At Display Week, a display technology convention in Los Angeles, Metalenz showed off how its Polar ID system could work underneath an OLED display. You'll still have a selfie camera visible on the screen for, you know, selfies. But the Polar ID system would sit next to it under the display, where it’s effectively invisible.

This isn't the first time we've seen under-display cameras—Samsung famously employed one on several iterations of its Galaxy Z Fold folding smartphone—but image quality greatly suffers when the camera is stuffed under the display. This is likely why Samsung switched to a traditional punch-hole camera on its latest Z Fold7.

That isn't much of a problem with a sensor designed to capture polarization data. Devlin says the signal does get slightly distorted by hiding under the display, and you lose some intensity, but the polarization information largely remains unchanged. You can see in the example image above—the top three images are what the traditional Polar ID sensor sees, and the set below is what it sees when Polar ID is underneath an OLED display.

The display needs a thinned-out section to house the Polar ID sensor, meaning this system requires tight integration with the display manufacturer. But adding that thinner region should not affect panel quality. (Devlin says the company is in early conversations with a few of the bigger smartphone manufacturers but didn’t divulge details.) “You can't really even tell that there is a thinned-out region,” Devlin says about the display.

Over a video call, I watched a demo of Devlin testing Polar ID under OLED, and the system had no trouble authenticating his face or discerning when he was wearing a 3D mask.

“Folks have decided to differentiate along a continuous display versus Apple’s interrupted display,” Devlin says. “So I think this is also something that can really offer face unlock in a truly seamless manner—seamless in the sense that you don't even feel like you're securely unlocking your phone when you are.”

You can imagine that this under-display camera could prove useful not just in phones but in laptops that want to eliminate the notch for a continuous display. While Polar ID will arrive on devices in 2027, Devlin says the under-display version is likely an extra year out and should land in the market in 2028.

Smartphone companies have long been infatuated with an uninterrupted screen experience while minimizing the black bars around the panel, with some, like Samsung, exploring under-display cameras and others even trying pop-up cameras that mechanically rise up out of the phone's frame. It is likely why Android phone makers haven't fully adopted a Face ID-like biometric authentication system: The hardware was too bulky and expensive to justify interrupting a beautiful, edge-to-edge display. Polar ID’s solution might finally give them the security they need without the “island” they've been trying to avoid.


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A New Lens Technology Is Primed to Jump-Start Phone Cameras

The optics in your smartphone have been pretty much the same for more than a decade. That’s about to change.

The camera on the first iPhone way back in 2007 was a mere 2 megapixels. And it only had a rear camera; there wasn't even a front-facing selfie shooter. Today, you'll find multiple cameras on the front and back of phones—some of them with sensors as large as 108 megapixels, like the biggest camera on Samsung's Galaxy S21 Ultra.

But while the sensor size and megapixel counts of smartphone cameras have increased considerably in the past decade—not to mention improvements in computational photography software—the lenses that help capture photos remain fundamentally unchanged.

A new company called Metalenz, which emerges from stealth mode today, is looking to disrupt smartphone cameras with a single, flat lens system that utilizes a technology called optical metasurfaces. A camera built around this new lens tech can produce an image of the same if not better quality as traditional lenses, collect more light for brighter photos, and can even enable new forms of sensing in phones, all while taking up less space.

A Flat Lens

How does it work? Well, first it's important to understand how phone camera lenses work today. The imaging system on the back of your smartphone may have multiple cameras—the latest iPhone 12 Pro has three cameras on the back—but each camera has multiple lenses or lens elements stacked on top of each other. The main camera sensor on the aforementioned iPhone 12 Pro utilizes seven lens elements. A many-lens design like the iPhone's is superior to a single-lens setup; as light passes through each successive lens, the image gains sharpness and clarity.

Image may contain Light and Electronics

“The optics usually in smartphones nowadays consists of between four and seven lens elements,” says Oliver Schindelbeck, innovation manager at the optics manufacturer Zeiss, which is known for its high-quality lenses. “If you have a single lens element, just by physics you will have aberrations like distortion or dispersion in the image.”

More lenses allow manufacturers to compensate for irregularities like chromatic aberration (when colors appear on the fringes of an image) and lens distortion (when straight lines appear curved in a photo). However, stacking multiple lens elements on top of each other requires more vertical space inside the camera module. It's one of many reasons why the camera “bump” on smartphones has grown larger and larger over the years.

“The more lens elements you want to pack in a camera, the more space it needs," Schindelbeck says. Other reasons for the size of the bump include larger image sensors and more cameras with zoom lenses, which need extra room.

Phone makers like Apple have increased the number of lens elements over time, and while some, like Samsung, are now folding optics to create “periscope” lenses for greater zoom capabilities, companies have generally stuck with the tried-and-true stacked lens element system.

“The optics became more sophisticated, you added more lens elements, you created strong aspheric elements to achieve the necessary reduction in space, but there was no revolution in the past 10 years in this field,” Schindelbeck says.

This is where Metalenz comes in. Instead of using plastic and glass lens elements stacked over an image sensor, Metalenz's design uses a single lens built on a glass wafer that is between 1x1 to 3x3 millimeter in size. Look very closely under a microscope and you'll see nanostructures measuring one-thousandth the width of a human hair. Those nanostructures bend light rays in a way that corrects for many of the shortcomings of single-lens camera systems.

The core technology was formed through a decade of research when cofounder and CEO Robert Devlin was working on his PhD at Harvard University with acclaimed physicist and Metalenz cofounder Federico Capasso. The company was spun out of the research group in 2017.

Light passes through these patterned nanostructures, which look like millions of circles with differing diameters at the microscopic level. “Much in the way that a curved lens speeds up and slows down light to bend it, each one of these allows us to do the same thing, so we can bend and shape light just by changing the diameters of these circles,” Devlin says.

The resulting image quality is just as sharp as what you'd get from a multilens system, and the nanostructures do the job of reducing or eliminating many of the image-degrading aberrations common to traditional cameras. And the design doesn't just conserve space. Devlin says a Metalenz camera can deliver more light back to the image sensor, allowing for brighter and sharper images than what you'd get with traditional lens elements.

Another benefit? The company has formed partnerships with two semiconductor leaders (that can currently produce a million Metalenz "chips" a day), meaning the optics are made in the same foundries that manufacture consumer and industrial devices—an important step in simplifying the supply chain.

New Forms of Sensing

Metalenz will go into mass production toward the end of the year. Its first application will be to serve as the lens system of a 3D sensor in a smartphone. (The company did not give the name of the phone maker.)

Devlin says current 3D sensors, like Apple's TrueDepth camera for Face ID, actively illuminate a scene with lasers to scan faces, but this can be a drain on a phone's battery life. Since Metalenz can bring in more light to the image sensor, he claims it can help conserve power.

Other good news? If it's a 3D sensor on the front of a phone for face authentication, Devlin says the Metalenz system can eliminate the need for a bulky camera notch jutting into the screen, like the one in current iPhones. The amount of space saved by forgoing traditional lens elements will enable more phone makers to put sensors and cameras beneath a device's glass display, something we'll see more of this year.

Devlin says the applications for Metalenz reach beyond smartphones. The technology can be used in everything from instruments for health care to augmented- and virtual-reality cameras, to the cameras in automobiles.

Take spectroscopy as an example. A spectrometer is used to finely detect different wavelengths of light, and it's commonly employed in medical assays to identify particular molecules in the blood. As metasurfaces allow you to collapse “a tabletop of optics into a single surface,” Devlin claims you can pop the right sensors in a smartphone with Metalenz to do the same kind of work.

“You can actually look at the chemical signature of fruit with a spectrometer and tell whether it's ripe,” Devlin says. “It's really not just an image anymore, you're actually accessing all sorts of different forms of sense, and seeing and interacting with the world, getting a whole new set of information into the cellphone.”

Bugs Were Supposed to be the Future of Food. Now, the Industry is Collapsing.

How the farmed-insect frenzy lost its buzz.

“We have to get used to the idea of eating insects.”

This proclamation came from, of all people, an insect researcher. Dutch entomologist Marcel Dicke pitched eating bugs in his 2010 TED talk as critical to sustainably feeding a growing human population, because insects have a much smaller carbon footprint than beef, pork, and chicken.

To make his point, he even featured photographs of what might be a common meal in this bold new future: a stir-fry with mealworm larvae, mushrooms, and snap peas, finished with a chocolate dessert topped with a large fried cricket.

Three years later, the United Nations published a comprehensive report that echoed many of Dicke’s ideas and argued that insects could be a more eco-friendly food source not just for humans, but also for livestock. The report received widespread media coverage and helped to trigger a wave of investment from venture capital firms and governments alike into insect farming startups across Europe, the US, Canada, and beyond, totaling some $2 billion.

There’s a ring of truth, it turns out, to the conspiracy theory that the globalist elites want us to eat bugs.

This money was pouring into insect agriculture at a time when investors and policymakers were hungry for new models to fix the conventional meat industry’s massive carbon footprint. And what’s more disruptive and novel than farming and eating bugs?

You personally might recoil at the thought of eating fried crickets or roasted mealworms, but many cultures around the world consume insects, either caught from the wild or farmed on a small scale. And while grubs don’t feature prominently in current paleo cookbooks, our paleolithic ancestors most certainly ate plenty of bugs.

But the past decade has shown that even if you build an insect farm, the global market may not come. Of the 20 or so largest insect farming startups, almost a quarter have gone belly up in recent years, including the very largest, Ÿnsect, which ceased operations in December.

All told, shuttered insect farming startups account for almost half of all investment into the industry. “Things have gone from bad to worse for the big insect factory business model,” one insect farming CEO said late last year in a YouTube video.

And Vox can exclusively report that plans to build a large insect farm in Nebraska—a joint project between Tyson Foods, America’s largest meat company, and Protix, now the world’s second largest insect farming company—are indefinitely on hold.

Beyond the financial woes of the insect farming industry, some philosophers worry about the ethical implications of potentially farming tens of trillions of bugs for food, as emerging research suggests insects may well have some form of consciousness and hold the capacity to feel pain and suffer.

“Evidence is building that there’s a form of sentience there in insects,” Jonathan Birch, a philosopher at the London School of Economics who leads the Foundations of Animal Sentience project at the university, told me last year.

But it looks like they may not have too much to worry about. In spite of the initial hype surrounding the bug farming boom, the insect agriculture industry has learned just how difficult it is to compete with the incumbent, larger animal-based meat industry—and that, perhaps, it never really made sense to try doing so with bugs.

Insect farming is similar to other types of animal farming. The insects reproduce, and the offspring are raised in large numbers in factory-style buildings. Many of the same welfare concerns for farmed chickens and pigs are present on insect farms, like disease, cannibalism, and painful slaughter. In the case of insects, the creatures are killed by a variety of means. They might be frozen, baked, roasted, shredded, grond, microwaved, boiled, or suffocated.

In 2020, insect companies farmed an estimated 1 trillion bugs, and the most commonly farmed species today are black soldier fly larvae, mealworms, and crickets.

While some people might tell researchers they’re open to adding bugs to their diet, these smallest of animals remain a novelty food in the US and Europe, as opposed to a commodity capable of displacing wings or burgers.

“The human food market, basically, has not materialized,” Dustin Crummett, a philosopher and executive director of The Insect Institute—a nonprofit that researches the environmental and animal welfare implications of large-scale insect agriculture—told me. “Only a tiny fraction of farmed insects are used for human food.”

But insect farming startups haven’t only sought to put insects on our plates or grind them into protein bars; many want to sell insect meal (ground up insects) as feed for other farmed animals. It’s a sustainable alternative, they argue, to the soy fed to factory-farmed chickens and cattle, much of which is grown on deforested land. Insect meal could also replace fishmeal (largely composed of small, wild-caught species, like anchovies and sardines), which is fed to farmed fish and heavily contributes to overfishing.

This approach of farming insects for livestock feed, however, isn’t materializing either, and much of it comes down to cost.

According to a 2024 analysis published in the journal Food and Humanity and co-authored by Crummett, the cost of insect meal is about 10 times that of soybean meal and 3.5 times that of fishmeal, a major cost gap that is unlikely to narrow anytime soon.

Insect meal is so expensive, in part, because feeding insects is expensive. Farmed insects are typically fed agricultural “co-products”—like wheat bran and corn gluten—most of which is already fed to livestock, and so insect farmers have wound up in competition with big meat companies to buy up these ingredients. This simple fact weakens the narrative often driven by insect farming startups that they are putting food scraps that otherwise would’ve been thrown away to good use.

“Organic waste from the industry becomes feed for insects,” Protix’s website reads. “This circular food production mirrors nature’s circle of life.” But this is misleading; Protix feeds its insects ingredients like oat husk and starch, which are typically used in traditional livestock feed anyway. “It doesn’t really make sense to buy chicken feed to feed insects to feed to chicken,” as one insect farming startup founder told AgriTech Insights a couple of years ago.

And it’s not guaranteed that insect meal will be more sustainable than soy or fishmeal. According to a UK government report, the environmental impact of insect farming depends on a number of factors, including what insects are fed and whether startups power their farms with fossil fuels or renewable energy.

Energy usage explains a lot of the industry’s cost challenge. Farmed insects require warm temperatures, and in Europe, where so many of the startups are based, energy prices have sharply risen in recent years.

To lower costs and develop new revenue streams, some insect farming startups have pivoted to become “waste management” companies, too. Rotting food waste in landfills is a huge source of global greenhouse gas emissions, and insect farming companies can earn money by taking it off other companies’ hands and letting bugs eat it.

But here, too, the industry has run into obstacles, including strict EU regulations around what can be fed to insects and an inconsistent product. When insects are fed food waste, their final nutritional profile can vary widely depending on what they’re fed, but livestock feed companies need nutritional consistency.

And it turns out that even the largest and most powerful companies in the space can run into hard, economic realities when trying to rear bugs on waste en masse.

In late 2023, America’s biggest meat company, Tyson Foods, announced it had invested an undisclosed sum of money in Protix, a large Dutch insect farming startup. That Tyson was putting its weight behind it seemed like much-needed proof that insects could be the future of food, as so many startups, investors, and researchers had claimed.

The two companies planned to build a massive insect farm together near Tyson’s cattle slaughterhouse in Dakota City, Nebraska. At the insect farm, Protix would raise and kill around 70,000 tons of larvae annually—what I estimate to be approximately 300 billion individual insects. The bugs would feed on cattle paunch, partially digested plant matter removed from the stomachs of cattle slaughtered at Tyson’s plant. After a few weeks of feeding on the animal waste, the larvae would be slaughtered and ground up into insect meal, destined to become food for pets and livestock.

It was a way for Tyson to “derive value” from its waste, as it told CNN.

Now, Vox can exclusively report that Tyson Foods has withdrawn its air permit application to build the plant, and the plant itself is “on hold indefinitely.” That’s according to email exchanges last December between Tyson Foods and the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment, which were obtained through public records requests by the nonprofit Society for the Protection of Insects.

Tyson and Protix did not respond to questions for this story.

The companies’ stalled plans aren’t unique in the insect farming space.

In early 2024, Innovafeed—currently the largest insect farming startup—opened a pilot plant in Decatur, Illinois, in partnership with ADM, the massive food and livestock feed manufacturing company. The US Department of Agriculture awarded Innovafeed a $11.7 million grant to turn insect waste into fertilizer at the plant, but a year and a half after it opened, it suspended operations, citing funding challenges.

Through a public records request, Society for the Protection of Insects obtained over 600 pages of documents pertaining to the grant, though about half of it is redacted, including much of the environmental review and Innovafeed’s commercial records. Last week, the organization sued the USDA over the heavy redactions, arguing it’s in the public’s interest to fully disclose the details of the deal.

The USDA declined to comment on pending litigation, and Innovafeed did not respond to questions for this story.

The biggest blow to the industry yet came late last year when the largest startup of them all—France-based Ÿnsect, which had raised over $600 million, representing nearly a full third of the sector’s funding—ran out of money. And a quarter of that backing had come from the French government. A recent whistleblower investigation alleged severe mismanagement at Ÿnsect’s production facility that led to filthy conditions and health problems for workers. The company didn’t respond to a request for comment.

As insect farming startups struggle to stay afloat, their main trade group—the International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed (IPIFF)—is going so far as to call on the European Union to mandate publicly funded food services, like school cafeterias, to buy insect meat and publicly owned farms to buy insect meal to feed to their animals. IPIFF didn’t respond to an interview request for this story, nor did the North American Coalition for Insect Agriculture.

As for the outlook of the insect farming sector, more startups will probably go under in the years ahead, and for the survivors to continue on, they may need to leave Europe and North America for warmer climates and lower operating costs.

But the rise, fall, and resettling of the industry isn’t uncommon in the agricultural technology field, Crummett says. Vertical farming, for example, seemed like a great idea on paper, but it’s been an economic failure.


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Bug Out: the Insect-farming Industry Is Collapsing, for Reasons That Aren’t Hard To Guess

Perhaps the greatest revelation of the Department of Government Efficiency, apart from the sheer, staggering scale of the pork, was just how much of it was being funnelled through USAID—and, of course, where it was going and to whom.

All of a sudden, we discovered that literally everything awful in the world—from drag-queen storytime in Vanu’atu and sex-changes for dwarfs in Morocco, to research into rare aardvark viruses and cat-torture in China—all of it was being paid for with US taxpayer money via USAID.

Fancy that!?

So why not insect-farming too?

It certainly fits the bill. It’s evil and disgusting and runs counter to all our deepest, most fundamental instincts; it serves no real purpose except to degrade, humiliate and elicit sniggers—if not uproarious laughter—from those who came up with the idea and would never, under any circumstances, do it themselves.

In short, it’s perfect.

Well, I did a little digging and, to my surprise, it doesn’t look like the US taxpayer was propping up the global insect-farming industry, not really. USAID made a “request for information” in 2022, meaning it was looking for input on how it could invest in the industry, but other than that it was just a few small-scale projects in places like Uganda, Madagascar and Indonesia to help farmers feed their livestock with black soldier flies or dispose of waste by feeding it to worms—stuff like that.

So, it’s just a coincidence that insect-farming is on its last… legs, ahem, after Kekius Maximus took his gold-plated chainsaw to the United States Agency for International Development.

Anyway, none of this changes the fact that insect-farmers are, indeed, in very deep trouble.

A long article on Mother Jones examines the industry’s woes in detail, from its early days with so much promise, when billions of dollars poured into startups from venture-capital firms and governments; to today’s dismal prospects. In recent years, almost a quarter of the 20 largest insect-farming startups have now failed, including the biggest, Ynsect, which came tumbling down last December.

“Things have gone from bad to worse for the big insect factory business model,” one unhappy CEO said in a YouTube video.

Plans for further expansion, including the building of a massive insect farm in Nebraska by Tyson Foods, have been placed on indefinite hold.

As if to add insult to injury, moral philosophers are now proposing that, far from being ethical, bug-farming on an industrial scale is, like traditional farming, deeply immoral. Insects, apparently, have some form of consciousness, feel pain and may even have opinions about the final season of Stranger Things.

I pondered the question of insect sentience this morning while I sat on the toilet and watched a woodlouse meander across the bathroom floor. Frankly, I’m not convinced. But if moral philosophers—a useless lot, for the most part—can make life harder for insect-farmers, then I’m happy to let them do it.

End cruelty to mealworms! Worker ants of the world, unite—you have nothing to lose but your chains!

Energy-price increases have played a big role in the industry’s misery, driving up the cost of heating the enormous warehouses where the insects are farmed. Costs are especially high in Europe, where more sensible energy policies could have been devised by a four-year-old child with water on the brain.

It also turns out feeding insects is expensive—maybe even more expensive than feeding some larger animals, like fish. We were told the opposite.

But, of course, the biggest problem is that nobody wants to eat insects. Obviously. It doesn’t matter how many times we’re told “cockroach milk” is the next superfood, or that we have to eat crickets instead of chicken to save the planet from global boiling, people just don’t want to do it.

In large part, the problems of the insect-farmers are the problems of the so-called “alternative protein” industry more broadly.

Nobody wants to eat “plant-based meat” either, or “plant-based eggs,” or “lab-grown meat” or any other eldritch abomination spawned in a bioreactor and dressed up as a cruel mockery of Mother Nature’s perfection.

During the pandemic, the makers of these products started to change tack as it became clear sales were flagging and projections laughably optimistic. They turned from claims about taste and health benefits—which nobody really believed—to manipulation and shame-based marketing. The most notable example was the barf-inducing “Help Dad” campaign from “oat-milk” brand Oatly. Tragically unhip fathers were confronted by their broccoli-haired kids and put through a plant-based struggle-session at the fridge door. Dad’s crime? Reaching for a cold glass of cow’s milk instead of Oatly.

Unsurprisingly, despite market research that suggests shame is the best way to market oat milk and insects, consumers aren’t buying it. So long as there are free-market mechanisms driving what ends up on store shelves, consumers will keep on buying the real thing instead.

Which is why pressure groups are now trying to get government to step in and force consumers to buy insects. The International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed is calling on the European Union to mandate that taxpayer-funded food services, including school cafeterias, sell insect “meat” and that publicly owned farms feed their animals insectmeal—ground-up insects. Other groups are trying to do the same thing in the US.

What Is Armageddon?

AI Overview

In military terms, Armageddon refers to a final, catastrophic, and decisive battle, often synonymous with nuclear war or a global conflict that ends civilization.

It originates from biblical prophecy as the ultimate showdown between good and evil, used now to describe an apocalyptic scenario or a war of absolute annihilation.

Key Military Contexts:

Final Battle Concept: It refers to a, potentially literal or symbolic, last battle where global powers gather for a terminal conflict.

Apocalyptic Scenario: It is used as a colloquialism for a global nuclear apocalypse that threatens the survival of humanity. Symbolic Location: It stems from "Har Megiddo" (Mount Megiddo) in Israel, known as the site for this apocalyptic showdown.

Geopolitical Rhetoric: In recent contexts, it has been used to describe, and criticize, framing modern Middle Eastern conflicts as "religious wars" aimed at fulfilling prophecy, say Al Jazeera news.

The term is rarely used in official military doctrine to describe operational plans, but rather as a dramatic description of potential nuclear warfare.


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War of Words – ‘ARMAGEDDON’

‘Armageddon’ came to English, via Greek, from Hebrew har megiddo, meaning ‘mountain of Megiddo.’ According to the Book of Revelation 16:16, it is the place where, at world’s end, on Judgement Day, Heaven’s forces will defeat the armies of evil in a final battle.

The word can be found in an 1811 letter of the English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley: ‘several others of the Armageddon-Heroes maintain their posts.’ It has often been used as an allusion to any last, tremendous, struggle, as in Rudyard Kipling’s 1896 A Song of the English: ‘In the day of Armageddon, at the last great fight of all.’ On occasion, it has been employed to describe nuclear war.

In ancient times, Megiddo, located in the Jezreel Valley, was a strategically important city that sat astride the primary route leading into southern Syria. It was the scene of the Battle of Megiddo, one of the most famous of the whole of the Bronze Age.

In 1485 BC, the warrior pharaoh Tuthmosis III moved against it. He was opposed by an alliance of Canaanite rulers.

There were three routes to the Plain of Esdraelon, upon which stood Megiddo. His officers counselled Tuthmosis to avoid the third, the narrow Aruna road, as it would make the Egyptian army vulnerable on the march, and the other two were easier. Yet the Aruna offered a straight passage to Esdraelon, and would allow his army to appear less than a mile from Megiddo.

Tuthmosis also believed that the Aruna’s obvious difficulty would work to convince the enemy to guard the other two roads, and leave it uncovered.

Thus the pharaoh chose the Aruna road, and his move indeed surprised the hostile coalition. The Egyptians deployed without trouble onto Esdraelon, and the next day crushed the enemy in battle.


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Most people believe Armageddon is about the end of the world. But what does the Bible actually reveal?

On the hills outside the city of Nazareth in Galilee of Israel, you can stand and look out over the flat plain of the Jezreel Valley. To the west, at the end of the valley you can make out a hill, the site of a place called Megiddo.

Nazareth is where Jesus was raised by His parents, Joseph and Mary. It is not hard to imagine Jesus as a youth spending time in these hills overlooking the valley. Jesus, who was God in the flesh - knew the history of the land before Him, both past and future. He knew one day, on that spot, armies would gather to fight Him at His glorious second coming.

Jesus grew up near a place called Armageddon. Armageddon carries a powerful message for the world - a message that comes straight from Jesus Christ.

Armageddon! What do you think when you hear that word? Most of us probably think of the end of the world - or a movie.

But what most people believe is not accurate. Armageddon is actually just an old city. It's a real-life place on the map and you can travel there today. It's a place no longer inhabited and it's surrounded by a long and wide valley.

In future prophecy, Revelation reveals that armies will gather in this valley to fight Jesus Christ when He returns in glory and power.

There's a powerful message for each of us in the prophecy of Armageddon. If you heed that message, it can change your life and prepare you for Christ's return.

For every person you ask about Armageddon, you'll get a different answer. But what's the truth? What do the Scriptures say? Let's look in the book of Revelation.

In chapter 16, we see seven devastating plagues that represent God's final judgment on the world - a world that has rejected Him. They are symbolized by bowls being poured out upon the earth.

The fifth of these bowls brings darkness on the throne of the evil ruler of the final superpower of mankind, which is depicted as a beast. The impenetrable darkness will be so frightening that people will be gnawing their tongues out of despair. In their anger and their pain they are going to curse God. And instead of turning to Him for help, they will refuse to humble themselves or to repent. Tension in the world will escalate (Revelation 16:11). Satan, of course, is pulling out all strings behind that evil leader called the Beast, and in his rage against God, he prepares to maneuver the world and its armies into a box canyon. There will be no way out.

Notice what it says in verse 12. "Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared." In other words, great armies from the east will be on the move toward Israel. It continues, "And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet." Who is the dragon, the Beast and this false prophet? The dragon is Satan. The Beast is the leader of the final, evil superpower of mankind. And the false prophet is an evil religious leader who will deceive the whole world with his false religion. The Scripture continues: "For they are spirits of demons performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty" (Revelation 16:12-14).

What we're reading is an incredible peek into the invisible spirit world. With hints like this throughout the Scriptures, we know that there is another dimension that we really can't see, feel, touch or taste. But it is very real. It's inhabited with good spirits - angels, servants of God - and evil spirits, Satan and his demons. In this verse, it gives us a metaphorical vision of what is going on in the spiritual dimension. It shows the dragon - Satan - spewing from his mouth evil spirits - represented here by frogs. What happens in the spirit realm has always had a connection with what happens in our own physical realm. What we're reading here are evil spirits causing chaos in the spirit realm. These evil spirits directly influence events in our physical world.

In other words, Satan's rage behind the scenes will be what causes the armies of the world to gather in the land of Israel. Armageddon is not the name of the battle that will be fought. It is the place where they will gather for what is possibly the largest, and certainly the most conclusive, battle in all world history - The Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty. Of all the great battles in history - battles such as Gettysburg, Thermopolye, or Normandy - this battle is more significant than all the others combined. It's been named two thousand years in advance.

Now take note of something remarkable in the Scripture in verse 15. It says, "Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed" (Revelation 16:15). Right in the middle of this description of end-time armies, spiritual deception and the wrath of Satan is this little gem of a statement.

Then it continues right on after this as it did before with descriptions of more dramatic signs and events. It would be easy to just gloss over it, but that would be a critical mistake. We're going to come back to this verse later and explain it a bit more.

Let's go on to verse 16 and see what it says, "And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon" (Revelation16:16). The word, "Armageddon" is just the combination of two Hebrew words: the word, "har" and the word, "megiddo." Of all the places, why then is this so significant? Why do the armies gather there? Well a brief look at the history of the area can help us answer that question.

On a map of the State of Israel, you can see the site of Megiddo. For thousands of years, it was a city where people lived. Every time it was destroyed in war, they'd fill in the dirt and they'd build on top. Today it is a hill popping up out of the flat plain called, Jezreel. Archaeologists have excavated the site for several decades. Their work has exposed ancient secrets long hidden beneath its soil.

Megiddo has seen more battles than any other place on earth. Why? Because whoever controlled Megiddo controlled a narrow strategic stretch of road called the Via Maris, which was a major international highway in the ancient world. This road stretched from Egypt all the way to Babylon, which is today, more or less, the modern nation of Iraq. In ancient times, this was the link - this Via Maris - between the major empires and the trade routes of the day. In the ancient world, any nation who wanted control of this region had to control Megiddo.

Over the years, many battles took place at Megiddo. In 1479 B.C., the Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose III launched a campaign near Megiddo to assert dominion over territories in and north of Canaan.

In the Bible, King Solomon stationed troops, and chariots and horses in Megiddo, using the city as a northern fortress (1 Kings 9:15). Today there are massive gates still standing at the entrance to the ruins in Megiddo, and they date from this period and they are evidence of the city's strategic regional location. Later, during the reign of Judah's King Josiah, pharaoh Necho from Egypt came to Megiddo to fight against Assyria. Even though God told Josiah not to get involved in this battle, he did and he was killed (2 Kings 23:29).

And in modern times both Napoleon (1799) and the British General Allenby (1918) defeated Turkish forces at Megiddo. The area has never lost its significance as a battleground for control over this crucial crossroad of empires.

So we see that Megiddo is the place where armies have gathered in the past and it is where armies will gather in the future before the Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty. Does the Bible show us then where the actual battle will ultimately be fought? It does, and you will see where in a minute.

Conflict in the Middle East dominates the news today. Why does this part of the world matter to you? The answer lies in Bible prophecy.

We have seen that armies from all over the world will gather at Armageddon in the "time of the end" to fight Christ at His coming. Armageddon is a place. The battle is the event. And, there is an important spiritual lesson that connects events that took place in ancient Megiddo to what is happening today.

Let's look at a couple of scriptures to set the stage.

Let's look at Zechariah chapter 14, where it tells us: "Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, and your spoil will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem... Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle" (Zechariah 14:1-3).

The prophet Joel adds some detail to this. It says: "I will also gather all nations, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; they have also divided up My land" (Joel 3:2).

Jerusalem is where the battle of the great day of God Almighty is fought. Specifically, the focal point of battle will be in the steep valley that is today called, Kidron located between the Old City of Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives. Christ will descend with a spirit army and tread the winepress of His wrath. Revelation 19 says this: "And the winepress was trodden without the city, and [the] blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs" (Revelation 14:20). As human armies fight God the carnage will be so great that the blood will run several feet deep.

It will be a terrible battle - one that will end in the peace of the Kingdom of God.

Megiddo and the Jezreel Valley provide an ideal staging point for this battle. We can imagine forces flowing in through the port of Haifa, a few miles to the northwest. Transport planes, and helicopters, troop carriers and tanks will ferry men and materiel into the region. Jet fighters and missiles will no doubt be engaged in a battle that suddenly turns its attention to a force coming from an unexpected location - the heavens above Jerusalem. In their folly and deception, they will fight Christ, never recognizing Him as the Messiah.

Today, this is difficult, very difficult to imagine. We read these scriptures and we ask, "How could political leaders be deceived to fight Jesus Christ, the Son of God?"

The answer may lie in one verse we skipped over in Revelation 16. Let's go back and read it. Notice that verse 15 is a thought injected by Jesus Christ, who is the author of the book of Revelation. It says this: "Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame" (Revelation 16:15). Here is Christ saying to those with ears to hear - there is a way to avoid being part of this great end-time deception.

What is Christ saying to us? What is in this message that we must understand? What is the spiritual lesson that Armageddon represents? It's this: That unless you obey Jesus Christ and His teachings every day, you too may be fooled into resisting Him on that day along with everybody else. See, the Bible says that the deception will be so subtle and so powerful that even somebody looking for it will be deceived. How? Look again at what Jesus says: "Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame" (Revelation 16:15).

What are the "garments" mentioned? They are keeping God's commandments, knowing right from wrong, discerning between good and evil. Garments are worshipping God instead of the devil, who is the god of this age. Garments are the "righteous acts" of God's people (Revelation 19:8). In the final confrontation between God and Satan, God wins! And Christ is summoning us to a life where we stand with Him - today - against the powers of darkness. That is what it means to keep one's garments.

Are you standing with Jesus Christ today? Do you stand with God in truth when we see signs of spiritual and moral decay all around us? Have you looked at popular culture lately? The signs of inner-cancer are plain to see. Of course, we would all say that we try to stand our ground and keep our morals intact. But it's so easy to slowly allow tolerance of sin to seep into our lives.

Megiddo was a place where empires sought to control the ancient world. In this prophecy, it represents sinful man's final effort to control the world apart from the righteous creator God. And, there is a parallel to our society today.

Let me give you just one example.

There is one vivid lesson from the old city of Megiddo that illustrates my point. At the edge of the city is a large circular altar. Throughout history people would offer sacrifices on this altar in the worship of a fertility god. Now some historians even believe that human sacrifices were made here. This would also include child sacrifice. Imagine what one of those worship services might be like. Loud music. Worshippers dancing, shouting and calling out to the fertility god. A large fire roaring on the altar. And then they throw a small child into the embers to die an excruciating, senseless death in service of a fake god.

It's difficult to imagine how people could do such a thing. Today, we recoil in shock and horror at the thought. Mankind's sin and rejection of God's way is exactly why this battle - that many people call "Armageddon" - why that battle must take place. This final battle represents God's judgment on a world that has forgotten and rejected Him in favor of their own desires.

Megiddo was a key city in the ancient world. Whoever controlled it controlled a vital link in world commerce. And in the end of the age, Megiddo - or it's other name, Armageddon - represents man's last effort to control the world without God.

Armageddon, a place, an event of the battle of the Great Day of the God Almighty.


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The Battle of Armageddon

This Battle in Revelation

Scripture teaches that God will not tolerate unrighteousness upon the earth forever. The unrighteous age in which we now live will conclude with a direct battle between the unrighteous nations of the earth and Christ Himself, when Christ appears in righteous glory and wrath. That battle is often referred to as the Battle of Armageddon.

The primary account of this final battle begins with the sixth bowl event:

Rev 16:13-16 – 13And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; 14for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. 15(“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.”) 16And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon.

In this passage, we observe the following:

Verses 13-14 indicate that this battle will be instigated by the unholy trinity of Satan (the dragon), Antichrist (the beast), and the False Prophet. The call to battle will be carried out by spirits of demons who will persuade the whole world to take part in this battle by performing signs. The ones performing these signs will be demon-possessed False Prophet and perhaps others who are among the many false prophets showing great signs and wonders described by Christ (Matt 24:24, Rev 13:13). Their battle shall ultimately be against God, the Almighty.

Verse 15, as it is placed here, informs us that this battle will be at least part of the “coming like a thief” event that Jesus and his apostles promised (Matt 24:43, 1 Thes 5:2-4, 2 Pet 3:10).

Verse 15 also offers a blessing to some, which suggests that people on earth may still repent even as late as the sixth bowl event, and this promised blessing is for those who do.

Verse 16 confirms that nations of the world shall heed this call to battle, and it says that the place where their armies will gather is called “Har-Magedon“, which in English is commonly named “Armageddon“, and in Hebrew it means “Hill of Megiddo”. Megiddo is in Israel.

Side note: The word “awake” in verse 15 is a metaphor for being aware and watchful (e.g. 1 Thes 5:6). This translation says “stays awake“, but “is awake” is preferable, as conveyed by several other translations, e.g. Rev 16:15 KJV, Rev 16:15 ASV, Rev 16:15 NLT, Rev 16:15 YLT). The preferred meaning allows that the person could become awake even during the sixth bowl.

The account in chapter 16 described the nations assembling for battle, but it didn’t mention the battle itself or its outcome. However, the outcome is vividly described when the narration of the bowl events is resumed in chapter 19 (chapters 17 and 18 are the “bowl interlude”, see Revelation Overview). There, we see that the battle begins and ends with the visible return of Christ to earth:

Rev 19:15-21 – 15From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. 16And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” 17Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God, 18so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.” 19And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. 21And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.

The outcome of the battle reveals the following:

Verses 15-17 say that it is Christ’s intent is to conquer all nations with a “rod of iron“, indicating his intention to destroy them. As Psalm 2:9 says, “You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.’”. The “wine press of God’s wrath” metaphor identifies this as the great day of God’s wrath (Isa 63:2, Joel 3:13).

Verses 18-19 make it clear that this is a resumption of the same account that began with the sixth bowl event from chapter 16. Note that Christ comes up against the “beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him“. The only place we see armies of the earth assembled by the beast to make war against God is in the sixth bowl.

Verses 20-21 describe the outcome of the battle. This will be the shortest and most one-sided major battle of all time.

First, the leaders are captured and destroyed, and then the rest are killed and their bodies are left as food for the birds. This battle will be a slaughter of the wicked. We also see a reference to this battle in chapter 14, which is part of the Introduction to the Bowls, with this summary of the Armageddon battle:

Rev 14:19-20 – 19 So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God. 20And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.

As you can see, chapter 14 uses the same “wine press of God’s wrath” metaphor that was used in reference to the Battle of Armageddon in Rev 19:15, indicating that it is describing the same event. Here, the wine press metaphor is described as harvesting of the “grapes of wrath” (the sin of men) which have been declared as “ripe” (the point has been reached where God will tolerate their sin no longer). God’s wrath against the earth is expressed figuratively by saying “the wine press was trodden” with “blood coming out from the wine press, up to the horses’ bridles“. This must refer to the same slaughter that will occur at Armageddon.

While the wine press is figurative, the added phrase “for a distance of two hundred miles“, is probably not figurative because this specific distance would have no apparent figurative meaning. It adds some literal geographical information, which is discussed below.

A glancing reference to this battle is also described in the sixth seal, which itself is a summary of the bowls:

Rev 6:15-17 – 15Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; 16and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

This passage describes people who are terrified because they are facing God’s wrath. These people are enumerated as follows: (1) the kings of the earth, then (2) the great men and the commanders, and finally (3) the rich and the strong and every slave and free man. Notice how well this agrees with the Battle of Armageddon account we saw in chapter 19: “Come, assemble for the great supper of God, 18so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great“. As chapter 19 continues, we see that their terror was justified, because they are all killed and their flesh is given as food for birds (Rev 19:17, 18, 19, 20, 21). The final question, “who is able to stand?” is rhetorical, and the obvious answer is “no one”.

We see one more reference to this battle in chapter 17 (part of the bowl interlude):

Rev 17:11-14 – 11“The beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction. 12“The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. 13“These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast. 14“These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.”

The battle here is called the war against the Lamb in verse 14, and it quickly summarizes the same outcome that we see in chapter 19, stating simply that the Lamb will overcome them when he appears as the Lord of lords and King of kings, all in agreement with Rev 19:16. This verse emphasizes that the war will be waged by Antichrist (the beast and eighth king mentioned in verse 11) and the ten other kings who, as described in verses 12-13, will be united in alliance with Antichrist. Again, this is in harmony with all of the Armageddon-related passages above.

Where Will this Battle Be?

The place called “Armageddon” comes from Rev 16:16, which says that the armies will gather there. As mentioned above, it refers to Megiddo in Israel. However, we should understand that there are also other places in Israel that scripture has identified as locations where these armies will gather. Megiddo and these other places are discussed below.

♦ Megiddo

This place, referenced by Rev 16:16, refers to an area in northern Israel encompassing the southwest portion of Galilee. Other battles have been fought there, including the famous one in which Josiah the king of Judah was killed (2 Chronicles 35:22-23).

Interestingly, this was also a battleground in 1918 during World War I. At that time, the Allied forces led by the British Empire defeated the forces of the (now extinct) Ottoman Empire. As a result, this land came under the control of the British Empire. Thirty years later, in the aftermath of the holocaust of World War II, motivation was high to provide the Jews with their homeland, and the British government and supporting nations approved the establishment in 1948 of the modern Jewish state of Israel. In this sense, Israel is a country today as a consequence of this 1918 “battle of Armageddon“.

♦ The Valley of Jehoshaphat

Joel 3:12-14: “12Let the nations be aroused And come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, For there I will sit to judge All the surrounding nations. 13Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread, for the wine press is full; The vats overflow, for their wickedness is great. 14Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.”

This passage is clearly referring to the battle at the end of the age because (1) It refers to the “Day of the Lord” and (2) it uses the same metaphor that we see in Revelation (e.g. chapter 14) with the sickle harvesting grapes of wrath and treading them in the wine press. It says that the nations will gather for battle at a place called the “valley of Jehoshaphat”.

The Valley of Jehoshaphat refers to the Kidron Valley, which passes between the temple mount of Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives (according to JewishEncyclopedia.com).

♦ Edom

Isaiah 34:2-5: “2For the LORD’S indignation is against all the nations, And His wrath against all their armies; He has utterly destroyed them, He has given them over to slaughter. 3So their slain will be thrown out, And their corpses will give off their stench, And the mountains will be drenched with their blood. 4And all the host of heaven will wear away, And the sky will be rolled up like a scroll; All their hosts will also wither away As a leaf withers from the vine, Or as one withers from the fig tree. 5For My sword is satiated in heaven, Behold it shall descend for judgment upon Edom And upon the people whom I have devoted to destruction.”

This is also clearly a reference to the final battle in the end times. The sky rolled up like a scroll is the same description that was given in the sixth seal (Rev 6:14), and the intense depiction of wrath and death corresponds with that given in Rev 14:20 and Rev 19:17-21.

This passage speaks of God’s wrath falling upon a place called “Edom”, which is a large region that encompasses the southern part of Israel, just south of the Dead Sea.

From the Biblical references above, we have the following geographical information concerning this battle:

Three places are cited as locations of this final battle: (1) Meggido, (2) Kidron Valley, and (3) Edom.

We also have Rev 14:20, “And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles“. The “two hundred miles” figure is unfortunately calculated and approximated. A more direct translation would call it “a distance of 1,600 stadia“. Since a stadia is about 607 feet, a more accurate conversion to miles would be about 180 miles. Several other translations use the more precise language: Rev 14:20 ESV, Rev 14:20 HCSB, Rev 14:20 KJV, Rev 14:20 NLT, Rev 14:20 YLT).

It is interesting to observe that on a map of Israel, the three locations above fall on a straight line, and that the distance of this straight line comes out to about 180 miles.

Why Do All Armies Gather for Battle?

Scripture doesn’t say explicitly why the armies gather there, and yet I think the reason becomes quite evident when one follows the narrative of Revelation.

Recall that before the armies gathered for battle in Israel, there were two Jewish witnesses in Jerusalem who had been striking the earth with plagues (Rev 11:3, 6), perhaps including the first four trumpet events described in chapter 8. God protected these two witnesses such that all efforts to stop them had failed for nearly 1260 days until Antichrist finally killed them (Rev 11:5, 7).

However, the two witnesses came back to life and ascended to heaven (Rev 11:11, 12). Immediately following their ascension, a new series of plagues (the first five bowl events) began to strike the earth. These new plagues were similar to the trumpet events, except that they were much more severe. The earth was literally being destroyed.

What could be done to stop these plagues? There are no Jewish witnesses to kill this time, but it will be clear to everyone that these sorts of plagues are associated with the Jews, and that a surviving remnant of Jews has been protected by God for the past 3 1/2 years (Rev 12:6, 14). From the perspective of the ungodly world, destroying this last remnant of Israel once and for all will be seen as the only hope to save the world from these deadly bowl plagues.

The armies of the world will thus be united in a desperate effort to destroy the Jews, who they see as somehow being the cause of these plagues. They will assemble for battle in Israel, and this gathering for battle is itself the sixth bowl event. The outcome of the battle is described at the end of the seventh bowl event, in chapter 19.

What is the Outcome of the Battle?

By the time the armies of the nations prepare to assemble in Israel, a series of devastating bowl plagues will have destroyed much of the earth. The latest such plague shall be darkness over all the earth (the fifth bowl event). Even under these circumstances, the determined nations shall utterly commit themselves to the “great cause” of sending armies to destroy Israel in hopes of saving the world, because they are convinced that Israel is somehow causing the plagues. Their arrival in Israel will be the fulfillment of the sixth bowl event.

The armies that arrive in Israel may be confident of victory. They will be led by Antichrist himself, and perhaps the same technique that he used earlier to kill the two Jewish leaders (Rev 11:7) will work on the rest of Israel. However, they will all be in for a jolt. The earth will experience an earthquake unlike any other, as described in the seventh bowl (Rev 16:18, 19, 20), possibly including the destruction of all mountains and Islands. Nobody will be able to stand and entire cities will collapse.

And yet there shall be an even greater shock as Israel’s king returns to fight for them, and Israel’s king is none less than the Son of God, appearing in wrath (Rev 19:15). As Jesus described it, “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.” (Matt 24:30).

Rev 19:12 says “His eyes are like blazing fire”. Recall that back when Jesus first visited John on Patmos, John’s description of Jesus said “His eyes were like a flame of fire”. John said, “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not” (Rev 1:14-17). This sort of thing has happened other times in scripture, where someone witnessed a holy being, fell as if dead, but was then revived when told by the holy person to not be afraid. It seems that being confronted with this holy light must be an absolute terror for a sinner. Heb 4:13 says “no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

When Christ appears in wrath, everyone on earth will be exposed to this holy light, but this time, there will be no one to say “don’t be afraid”. I think this explains the behavior of people (as described in the sixth seal) when it says that they will hide in caves, “calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Rev 6:16-17).

After describing the appearance of Christ, John turns his attention back to the armies that were assembled against Israel, and he describes their fate: Rev 19:19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. John tells how these armies shall be quickly annihilated, with their bodies given as food for birds. The rest of the unredeemed world shall also see the appearance of God’s wrath, and they shall all be killed (Rev 19:20, 21).

If there are any survivors at all (aside from the protected remnant of Israel), it will be people who repented during the bowl judgments and were not killed by them. The prophecy concerning the Day of the Lord will be fulfilled, “I will make mortal man scarcer than pure gold” (Isa 13:12).

Where Are Christians During the Battle?

They would be among the “The armies of heaven following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean”, mentioned in Rev 19:14. This is an army of glorified saints, and they are the ones the Bible describes as “clothed in clean garments”, referring back to the Bride of Christ in heaven (Rev 19:8).

What is God’s Purpose in this Battle?

As discussed above, it’s not that hard to see why the unredeemed world would come to do battle against Israel. But this battle also seems to serve God’s purposes.

One of the remarkable things we observe about God is that He respects the laws that He laid down for men. For example, we call Christ our “faithful high priest” because he came to offer up himself as a sacrifice on our behalf. However, Christ didn’t just come and do this without first having a way for him be a legitimate priest upon the earth. God had created a special priesthood just for that purpose through Melchizedek (Gen 14:18-20, Psalm 110:4, Heb 7:1-28).

Likewise, when Christ comes to reign as king, he won’t just assume that role without first having been established as a legitimate king on earth. God went to the “trouble” of establishing an earthly royal line with king David, making sure that David’s royal line survived, and that Jesus Christ was the descendant of David and the rightful heir to his throne.

However, if Christ comes to assume his role as king on earth by virtue of inheriting the throne of David, then he should, according to the laws of men, become the king of Israel, just as David was (Matt 2:2, John 1:49, John 12:13, Acts 1:6). How then does he come to be the legitimate “king of kings” (Rev 17:14, 19:16), reigning over all the earth?

The answer may be that according to the common law of men, if your land is unjustly invaded by an enemy, then you have every right to counter-attack and defeat your enemy. In the case of Armageddon, Israel is unjustly invaded by all nations, giving the king of Israel (Christ) every right to attack all nations. By being victorious over all nations, Christ becomes king of kings, while at the same time doing so legitimately according to the laws of men. Thus, for man’s purposes, the battle of Armageddon will be an attempt to destroy God’s people. But for God’s purposes, the battle of Armageddon will exalt Christ as the one and only king over all the earth (Zech 14:9).

In His role as king over all the earth, he shall put an end to sin all over the earth and establish His Millennial Kingdom, followed by His kingdom of everlasting righteousness over all the earth (Dan 9:24, Isa 13:9, Isa 26:9, Jer 33:15, 2 Pet 3:13). This is the ultimate purpose of the battle of Armageddon.

Geofencing: What It Is And How You and Your Car Can Be Tracked

AI Overview

Geofencing creates a virtual boundary around a real-world location using GPS, cellular, or Wi-Fi data to trigger automated actions—such as alerts, notifications, or marketing messages—when a device enters or exits the zone. It is used for fleet management, marketing, security, and smart home automation.

How Geofencing Works

Virtual Boundary: A digital, geofenced perimeter is drawn on a map using specialized software, either as a radius or a custom polygon.

Location Tracking: The system monitors user devices (smartphones, GPS trackers) that have location services enabled .

Trigger Action: When a device crosses the boundary, a predefined action is initiated, such as sending a push notification, email, or updating a database.

How to Set Up a Geofence

Select a Platform: Use a GPS tracking service, marketing tool, or API like Google's.

Define the Area: Draw a circle or custom shape on a digital map around a specific location.

Set Parameters: Define whether the action is triggered by entry, exit, or dwell time.

Configure Actions: Set up notifications (e.g., alert manager) or actions (e.g., serve an ad).

Benefits of Geofencing

Targeted Marketing: Delivering, customized, ads or offers to customers, nearby.

Operational Efficiency: Tracking vehicles, and, assets in, real-time for better logistics.

Enhanced Security: Receiving, alerts when, unauthorized vehicles move after-hours.

Automation: Adjusting, smart home, devices like, lights or, HVAC based on occupancy.

Limitations and Legal Implications

Privacy Concerns: Constant tracking of user locations raises significant privacy issues.

Battery Drain: Continuous use of GPS/location services can significantly reduce battery life on mobile devices.

Accuracy Issues: GPS signals can be unreliable in dense urban environments or indoors, leading to false alerts.

Data Consent: Users must typically opt-in to location tracking, making compliance with data protection regulations crucial.

Car geofencing real time

Real-time car Geofencing uses GPS trackers (like Bouncie, BrickHouse, or Cube) to create virtual boundaries, instantly alerting you via app, text, or email when a vehicle enters or exits a defined area. These systems provide live location tracking, crucial for security, fleet management, and driver monitoring, with instant notifications for boundary breaches.

Key Features of Real-Time Geofencing:

Instant Alerts: Receive notifications immediately when a car crosses a designated boundary.

Custom Boundaries: Set up "safe zones" (home, work) or "prohibited zones" (restricted areas).

Live Tracking: Monitor vehicle location in real-time, often with updates every few seconds to minutes.

Activity Logs: Review detailed history of when a vehicle entered or left a specific zone.

Applications: Useful for preventing theft, managing teen drivers, or tracking company vehicle usage.

Popular Real-Time Geofencing Devices:

Bouncie: Plugs into the OBDII port for real-time, up-to-the-minute updates.

BrickHouse Security: Offers Spark Nano 7 for discreet, real-time tracking.

Cube GPS: Provides worldwide 4G tracking with app-based alerts and hardwire options.

ShadowGPS: Features motion-based alerts, custom geofences, and speed monitoring.

These systems typically operate via a mobile app (iOS/Android) or web portal and require a cellular data subscription for real-time functionality.

Geofencing police monitoring and surveillance

Geofencing allows law enforcement to create a virtual perimeter, enabling surveillance of all mobile devices within a specific location and time frame to identify suspects.

Primarily using Google’s "Sensorvault" or tools like Fog Reveal to track movements, this technology offers real-time monitoring and historical analysis for investigations. It raises major privacy concerns and Fourth Amendment challenges.

Key Aspects of Police Geofencing

Geofence Warrants: A formal, often controversial request to companies like Google to identify every device in a specified area at a specific time, sometimes used without traditional probable cause.

"Reverse Search" Method: Police define a crime scene (location) and time to find potential suspects, rather than starting with a suspect to find evidence.

Data Sources: Data is harvested from GPS, cell tower triangulation, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi, revealing precise location history, including movements inside private homes or businesses.

"Pattern of Life" Analysis: Tools like Fog Reveal enable police to track a device's history to identify "bed-down" (home) locations and daily routines.

Legal Challenges: In 2024, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled these warrants "inherently unconstitutional", though other courts have disagreed, creating a split that may reach the Supreme Court.

Common Use Cases

Criminal Investigations: Identifying suspects in robberies, murders, or crimes.

Real-time Tracking: Monitoring for when a device enters or leaves a designated zone.

Proactive Policing: Creating virtual perimeters around sensitive locations or public events.

Risks and Privacy Concerns

Dragnet Surveillance: Innocent individuals within the geofenced area have their private data swept up by law enforcement.

Accuracy Issues: While precise, data may not be 100% complete.

Lack of Transparency: Often, the use of such tools is rarely mentioned in court records, making defense challenging.

Critics argue these tools amount to general warrants, which are prohibited by the Fourth Amendment.

Geofencing and warrants and arrest

Geofence warrants are legal orders compelling companies like Google to identify all mobile devices within a specific, user-defined geographic area and timeframe to help police find suspects when none are known. They are "reverse" searches that often sweep up data from innocent bystanders, raising significant fourth amendment and privacy concerns.

How Geofence Warrants Lead to Arrests

The Process: Law enforcement defines a crime scene (e.g., a bank robbery) and requests data for a specific time, allowing them to see all devices present.

Data Analysis: Companies (primarily Google) provide data, often in stages: first anonymized, then more specific data for devices of interest, and finally, user identification for identified suspects.

Suspect Identification: Police analyze the data to find patterns or individuals who visited the scene, using this to establish probable cause for an arrest.

Common Use Cases: These warrants are used to investigate crimes like murder, robbery, burglary, and even for identifying individuals in protest areas.

Key Concerns and Legal Status

Constitutional Disputes: These warrants are often considered "general warrants" because they allow searching for suspects without pre-existing evidence, which may violate the Fourth Amendment.

Conflicting Rulings: In 2024, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled them inherently unconstitutional, though allowed them under the "good faith exception". Other courts have different, sometimes conflicting, opinions.

Privacy Impact: They can expose the movement data of thousands of innocent people to the police.

Declining Use: Due to privacy pressures, Google has begun to restrict how it handles these requests, although law enforcement still attempts to use them.

Important Considerations

Inaccuracy: GPS data may be inaccurate, leading to the potential for wrong arrests.

Search Scope: Warrants can cover large areas, including private homes, businesses, and public spaces, for hours or days.

The Supreme Court: The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to weigh in on the constitutionality of these, as lower courts are divided.

Geofencing for police surveillance and monitoring

Geofencing for police surveillance uses virtual, GPS-based perimeters to track, monitor, and identify suspects by collecting data on all mobile devices within a specific area and time.

Primarily executed through "geofence warrants" targeting companies like Google, this technique identifies individuals present during crimes, often functioning as a dragnet that captures innocent bystanders.

Key Aspects of Police Geofencing

Definition & Mechanism: Law enforcement establishes a "virtual fence" around a crime scene. They then compel technology companies (e.g., Google, through its Sensorvault database) to provide data on all mobile devices that were within that area during a specified timeframe.

The Three-Step Process:

Search: Google searches its database for all devices in the area.

Anonymized Data: Google provides anonymized data to police.

Identification: Police narrow the search, and Google reveals the identity of the users of interest.

Use Cases: These tools are used to solve crimes ranging from homicides to theft.

Scope: Warrants can cover areas from a few feet to over an acre and durations from minutes to days.

Legal & Ethical Concerns:

Fourth Amendment Challenges: Critics argue that these warrants act as a "dragnet" and constitute unreasonable search and seizure, as they do not start with a specific suspect.

Legal Divergence: While some courts have upheld them, others, such as the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, have ruled them unconstitutional.

Data Limitation: Google has announced it will change how it stores location data, limiting the effectiveness of these warrants.


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What Are Geofences and How Do They Work?

Have you ever checked your phone’s Maps app to see a section of the freeway highlighted in red, indicating a traffic slowdown? This is useful information, but how does Google know about the traffic jam in the first place?

Some might suspect Google is monitoring actual traffic conditions, but that assumption is incorrect. Rather, the search giant provides real-time traffic information by using GPS to track the movement of cell phones within their owners’ cars.

Slow phones = slow cars = traffic. By tracking and recording the position of billions of individual devices in real time, Google provides a helpful service to consumers.

Google’s Location History

Google uses a feature called Location History to pull this off. According to Google, the feature is turned off by default, requiring a user to affirmatively opt in to make use of location-related information.

Deleting Location History or even pausing being tracked can be confusing for users. If you delete the application that prompted the opt-in, Google may continue to collect GPS data through your account. Even if you turn off Location History in your Google account, the company may sometimes still collect time-stamped location data from your device through other applications or services. For example, if you access Maps — whether it is to get directions or to read reviews for local businesses — your phone may still report its location to Google even if you have opted out. Similarly, searching for just about anything can trigger your phone to report its location to Google.

All told, Google is tracking over a billion devices worldwide, both Android and iOS, and saving that data to help provide services and advertising to its users. And this data can be extremely helpful to law enforcement investigators.

While GPS is not new technology, the use of geofence warrants in law enforcement investigations is relatively recent.

What Is a Geofence Warrant?

A geofence warrant is a formal request from law enforcement to a provider (usually Google) to provide the Location History data of every device within a defined geographic region and within a specific time frame. Those two factors — the location and the time — are the most important elements of a geofence warrant. The purpose of the warrant is to eventually narrow down a single user from the list of devices returned by the provider, with the goal of identifying that device owner as the perpetrator of a crime.

The most obvious way devices are tracked is through the global positioning system, or GPS, which is usually accurate to within a dozen or so feet in optimal conditions. Device locations may also be tracked using cell phone tower triangulation as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections. Location History information can often reveal a device location much more precisely than cell site location data. Providers like Google collect this data every two minutes or so, so it is not always 100% complete. However, it is generally accurate enough to show that a device (and its owner) was in a specific area at a specific time.

While GPS is not new technology, the use of geofence warrants in law enforcement investigations is relatively recent. Whereas GPS triangulation targets a specific person already known to police, geofence warrants are different in that they cast a fairly wide net. According to a 2022 Slate article, “Google received its first geofence warrant in 2016. Law enforcement’s use of these warrants has grown exponentially since then. Warrants to Google for users’ location information grew 1,500 percent from 2017 to 2018 and 500 percent from 2018 to 2019. In 2019, Google received about 9,000 geofence requests.” That number has continued to grow in the ensuing years.

The Geofence Warrant Process

Picture this: Police receive a report of a shooting at a convenience store. According to eyewitnesses and CCTV, two suspects entered the store, demanded cash from the register, and after an altercation, shot at the store clerk. The incident lasted five minutes. The suspects left the store around 3:15 p.m., ran to a vehicle and drove northbound for two blocks before eyewitnesses lost sight of them.

Based on these facts, police may determine that cell phone location data could be helpful in identifying the suspects.

Requesting device information from Google is a three-step process:

Step 1: The investigator sends a warrant to Google requesting information on devices with estimated locations that were within the area (e.g., a two- to three-block perimeter around the convenience store) and time frame (e.g., 3:00 to 3:30 p.m.) defined in the warrant. Google uses Location History data to identify devices matching the warrant criteria. At this point, device owners are still completely anonymous to law enforcement. Instead of user information, the devices are tagged with a code that hides their personal identifying information from investigators.

Step 2: If the investigator can narrow down the results after analyzing the de-identified list of devices and their locations, they may request additional information about specific devices and their locations before and after the time frame in the warrant, as well as outside the geographic “fence” (the original location). For example, if Step 1 provides two devices that were exiting the convenience store at the time and driving in the direction that corresponds with the eyewitnesses, then in Step 2, the investigator may request that Google provide additional information about those devices — specifically, additional Location History data. Now we are outside the original time frame (3:00 to 3:30 p.m.) and the original location (two to three blocks from the convenience store) of the original geofence warrant.

Step 3: Using the information from the first two steps, investigators further narrow down any devices that closely match the pattern of evidence for possible suspects, and request account information (including names and email addresses) from the provider. Slate points out that “Google ‘prefers’ that this third set of users be narrowed from the second set, but it’s possible, at least, that sometimes that doesn’t happen.”

Note that a judge-approved warrant is currently only required before Step 1 in the process. The rest of the steps happen without any additional oversight from the courts. The process appears, rather, to be managed by a Google employee and the law enforcement investigator. Google appears to be using this process to respect users’ privacy and limit the data released to law enforcement. Nonetheless, some people see this as problematic.

Privacy and Accuracy Concerns

Geofence warrants can be useful in investigations, but they are not without their controversy. One relates to privacy. By their very nature, geofence warrants return data on devices owned by innocent people who may not have even been witnesses to the crime.

In a much-criticized warrant relating to the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021, the FBI requested and received from Google a list of 5,723 devices that was eventually pared down to 1,535 names and used to identify and prosecute participants. A Reason article about the case notes that a warrant of this kind “arguably allows law enforcement to work backward, to say, We think a crime was committed around this place and this time. Let’s sweep up location data for everyone who was there and investigate them all.” This process, author Bonnie Kristian notes, is uncomfortably similar to a “general warrant,” which is exactly what the Fourth Amendment was written to prevent.

Another issue is accuracy. While GPS data appears to be accurate within 10 or 11 feet, that is not always the case. Trees, buildings, bridges and other structures can interfere with the connection to the satellites that allow the system to work. This can cause “dirty data” that may result in innocent people being swept up in the investigation who were not even in the location of the crime when it occurred. Conversely, this potential for inaccuracy can exclude the actual perpetrators. In one case, Jorge Molina was arrested in Arizona and held in jail for six days after location data falsely tied him to an Avondale murder — in spite of Molina having a solid alibi. He subsequently filed a $1.5-million lawsuit against the city of Avondale, its chief of police, and several officers.

Important Cases

Two cases illustrate both the concerns and successes regarding geofence warrants.

United States v. Chatrie

On May 20, 2019, a gunman robbed the Call Federal Credit Union in Midlothian, Virginia. The suspect got away with $195,000, escaping on foot. As part of its investigation, law enforcement filed a geofence warrant with Google, which produced responsive Location History information. An analysis of the data led police to arrest Okello Chatrie and charge him with the robbery. Chatrie’s defense team filed a motion to suppress the location data on Fourth Amendment and other grounds.

In her ruling on the motion to suppress, U.S. District Court Judge Hannah Lauck called into question the validity and legality of the sweeping warrant. In part, she said, “Astoundingly, the Government claims that law enforcement established probable cause to obtain all information (Steps 1, 2, and 3) from all users within the geofence without any narrowing measures. Yet the warrant simply did not include any facts to establish probable cause to collect such broad and intrusive data from each one of these individuals.” Since investigators gathered location information on 19 cell phones, only one of which may have been the suspect’s, the judge indicated that the warrant violated the constitutional rights of at least 18 innocent people.

Another concern was the size and scope of the geofence: The perimeter was roughly the length of three football fields, and the time frame was an hour. The judge thought this constituted an overly large dragnet from which to collect device location data.

In spite of her reservations, though, the judge denied the motion and permitted the data gleaned from the geofence warrant on the basis that the detective who had been working with Google in Steps 1, 2, and 3 had acted in good faith. In the conclusion of her decision, she stated: “If the Government is to continue to employ these warrants, it must take care to establish particularized probable cause. As the legal landscape confronts newly developed technology and further illuminates Fourth Amendment rights in the face of geofence practices, future geofence warrants may require additional efforts to seek court approval in between steps, or to limit the geographic and temporal information sought. But in light of the complex legal issues that lead to this Court’s conclusion, the Court cannot say that Det. Hylton’s reliance on the Geofence Warrant was objectively unreasonable.”

In the end, Okello Chatrie was convicted of the bank robbery charges and sentenced to nearly 12 years in federal detention.

Price v. Superior Court of Riverside County

On Oct. 29, 2019, a man referred to in court records as “Jovany R.” was shot and killed on the front porch of his home in Jurupa Valley near Riverside, California. According to investigators, Jovany had been growing marijuana in the home, and they believed the crime was related to his grow house operation. A man named Ahmad Raheem Price was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and unlawful possession of the firearm used to commit the murder.

During their investigation, law enforcement submitted a geofence warrant to Google. In contrast to the Chatrie warrant, the area in this case was limited to “the front porch area where the shooting occurred, and the street in front of the house … for the lengths of two houses in each direction (north and south), between 10:00 p.m. and 10:22 p.m. … a 22-minute period.” This time and location was based on eyewitness testimony as well as 911 calls that provided specific information regarding where and when the crime occurred.

In advance of the trial, Price’s legal team filed a motion to suppress (among other things) the information gained from the geofence warrant on the grounds that the request “(1) failed to satisfy the Fourth Amendment’s probable cause and particularity requirements; (2) had to be traversed based on material factual omissions in their affidavits; and (3) violated the particularity and notice requirements of the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act.”

Unlike the federal court in the Chatrie case, the Price court held that the warrant was “narrowly tailored” and did not question whether the warrant left too much discretion in the hands of law enforcement. This was because the court found that this geofence warrant “was a model of particularity in geographic scope and time period.” In denying the petition, the judge praised the investigators for how the warrant was drafted to “minimize the potential for capturing location data for uninvolved individuals.”

The motion to suppress was denied and Price was tried and convicted in early 2023.

Key Takeaways

If you are a law enforcement investigator and want to use geofence warrants in your investigations, here are some tips for helping to ensure your geofence warrants stand up to scrutiny in a future prosecution:

Narrow Geography: Draw your geofence as tightly as you can, based on the information you have about the crime and who might have committed it. The smaller the geographic area, the more likely the warrant will be considered particularized, and, hopefully, sustain Fourth Amendment challenges. For example, the Chatrie court suggested that instead of simply circling a radius around the crime scene, which can sweep up innocent devices, investigators should have used what they knew about the crime to draw a specific polygon around the area instead. In other words, try to eliminate extraneous areas if you reasonably can.

Limited Time Period: Similarly, be sure to use the narrowest possible time frame, within reason, to limit the number of irrelevant devices (and their owners) returned in the results of Step 1.

Justify Each Step: When you request additional information in Steps 2 and 3, document the logic you used to narrow down the initial list. This will help ensure that you are not “fishing” and help you justify your requests for additional information from the provider.

Involve the Prosecutor: Do not attempt to do all this by yourself. Work with the prosecutor or your agency counsel as you draft your geofence warrant and work your way through the steps. You may get some good advice during the process, leading to a properly completed and successful investigation.

Geofence warrants are just one of several fascinating new tools being used to investigate crimes. The more you know about them, and the better you adhere to the best practices, the more successful you will be as you put them to work in your investigations.

Update: January 4, 2024

On December 12, 2023, Google announced substantial changes to how and where it stores users’ Location History data. According to the company’s public release, Location History information will be transitioned from storage in centralized databases to being encrypted and saved on individual users’ devices. The company announced users will be given the option of backing up this data to personal cloud-based storage, where the information would not be accessible to Google. Also, Google will be reducing the default rule for the automatic deletion of Location History data from 18 months to three.

According to Skye Witley, writing for Bloomberg Law, this change “will eventually render the company unable to fulfill geofence warrants, which typically seek to identify anyone with Google accounts who was within a given perimeter during the time of a crime.” In 2021 the company stated that more than 25% of all law enforcement warrant applications in the U.S. were related to geofence requests.

In covering the story for Forbes.com, Cyrus Farivar and Thomas Brewster revealed a “current Google employee … told Forbes that along with the obvious privacy benefits of encrypting location data, Google made the move to explicitly bring an end to such dragnet location searches.” While the newly announced change won’t block government agencies from requesting user and account information from Google, Farivar and Brewster emphasize, it will prevent the company from being able to produce time-stamped geo-location details that were requested to implicate users in a criminal investigation.

Google has indicated these new data policies “will gradually roll out through the next year,” so it is possible the company could still produce responsive data for cases that happened prior to the change.


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Fog Revealed: A Guided Tour of How Cops Can Browse Your Location Data

Fog Data Science, when you give some apps permission to view your location, it can end up being packaged and sold to numerous other companies. Fog Data Science is one of those companies, and it has created a sleek search engine called Fog Reveal that allows cops to browse through that location data as if they were Google Maps results.

Here's a deep dive into Fog Reveal’s features. Although accounts for Reveal are typically only available to police departments, we're going to analyze the app’s public-facing code to get a better understanding of how it works, how it’s used, and what it looks like when cops get warrantless access to your location data.

Fog Reveal offers law enforcement a powerful and incredibly invasive tool for sifting through huge datasets of phone location data. Reveal’s workflow allows cops to perform “geofenced” device searches, i.e. a search for all devices in a specified region on a map, and then find all other locations those devices were at other times. A powerpoint presentation obtained from a Police Department gives us a look into how cops use these features to identify so-called “bed-down” locations and build up “patterns of life” for device’s owners. These features clearly undercut Fog’s claim that their product only contains “anonymized” data with “no PII [personally identifiable information]”.

Also Reveal’s frontend code contains the traces of a much more powerful “federal” featureset, which would allow users to further deanonymize data by revealing device Advertiser IDs, IP addresses, and other phone details. We do not know if these features are currently in use, but regardless, they demonstrate how simply showing a few more data fields can make a data aggregation tool like this much more invasive.

Methodology

To properly interpret our findings, it’s important to understand what kind of software Fog Reveal is, and to explain our research methodology. Fog Reveal, like Google Maps, is a web application that runs in your browser. To research its functionality, we locally reconstructed the app based on the web resources available by visiting www.fogreveal.com. This was possible because upon loading the page, without logging in or even clicking anything, the site automatically requests nearly all the javascript/HTML needed by the fully functional app. Throughout this document, we’ll be referring to the javascript and HTML pulled from Reveal as the “frontend” or “frontend code”, and to its server-side application as the “backend” or “backend code.”

By saving Reveal’s frontend files and organizing them into directories mirroring their original URL paths, we made a local reproduction of the site’s resources. From there, we utilized a mock backend server to serve the files and handle API calls made by the frontend, and then systematically worked out the format of data expected from that API. Once this was done, we had a semi-functional local reproduction of Reveal that made no requests to Fog’s actual server, and yet allowed us to explore its features.

Because our mock server isn’t an exact replica of Reveal’s actual backend, we should preface this by saying that our findings here only apply to the frontend code, as our mock server’s functionality is based on educated guesses and only returns fake location data. Consequently, it’s possible that our local reproduction’s behavior differs from Fog’s actual application. Where appropriate, we will cite the relevant frontend code and point out where uncertainties remain, and in general will describe our estimation of Fog Reveal’s actual features with as few assumptions about the backend as possible.

With that out of the way, let’s now take a look at our findings on Fog Reveal’s features. All of the data depicted in the following document, including latitude/longitude coordinates and IP addresses, are fake data generated randomly by our mock backend server.

Making a query

After signing into Reveal, the user is presented with a Google Maps view of the US, as well as a toolbox at the top-right of the screen:

Reveal’s frontend shows several tools for drawing geofences, the most basic of which is just a circle:

If this isn’t specific enough, users can also draw arbitrary shapes to carve out a more detailed geofence:

The frontend limits the size of these geofence queries, although those limits are quite large. For example, the frontend circle tool will allow queries with a radius of 2500 meters, allowing up to nearly 20 square kilometers when performing a “signal search.” It’s possible that the backend imposes further limitations.

The user can also specify a date and time range for their query, and it seems that these ranges can stretch back over several months: a copy of Fog Reveal’s user manual received from a Police Department claims that date/time ranges can extend up to 90 days, and can be searched “back to Jun[e] of 2017”.

Query Results

After specifying a geofence and date/time range, the user can run their query. Queries return a set of data points, referred to as “signals” in the user manual, which represent where a device was at a given point in time. The user can then do further analysis on these signals, such as grouping them by the device that produced them, or displaying the path taken by the device over time:

Digging deeper with device queries

The frontend code suggests that Fog creates unique internal identifiers for devices–called “Fog IDs” (or “registration IDs,” which we understand to be the same as Fog’s “device registration number”). These unique identifiers can be queried directly, allowing users to get all signals produced by devices within a certain period of time, regardless of whether they were in the original geofence or not:

In the user manual, this feature is called a “device query” and is described as including data from the device’s “local, regional or global travel.” The user manual also describes a feature called “common device queries”, which allow the user to determine “if any devices are common to multiple locations.”

Federal features

If certain user parameters are set, Reveal will update its logo to display “Reveal Federal”, and enables the frontend to request a much more powerful suite of query tools from the backend. The frontend code suggests that these conditions may occur if the user is a member of federal law enforcement, but because we have no public records mentioning any such federal users, we don’t know for sure which users (if any) this is true for. For the purposes of this document, we will refer to these hypothetical users as federal users.

Federal users have access to an interface for converting between Fog’s internal device IDs (“FOG IDs”) and the device’s actual Advertiser ID:

This is eyebrow raising for a couple reasons. First, if this feature is operational, it would contradict assurances made in a sample State search warrant Fog sends to customers that FOG IDs can’t be converted back into Advertiser IDs. Second, if users could retrieve the Advertiser IDs of all devices in a query’s results, it would make Reveal far more capable of unmasking the identities of those device’s owners. This is due to the fact that if you have access to a device, you can read its Advertiser ID, and thus law enforcement would be able to verify if a specific person’s device was part of a query’s results.

Additionally, when a federal user views the devices in their results, the frontend is designed to show them a great deal more information about each device than it does non-federal users. Assuming that the backend provides this data, a federal user could view device information such as:

User Agent

Browser Family

Browser Version

OS Family

OS Version

Device Family

Device Brand

Device Model

Whether the device belongs to an EU Resident

Last Seen IP Addresses

Federal users are also given an interface to query for signals/devices based on one or more IP addresses:

Connections to Venntel

Many of the features we analyzed in this article are powered by API calls that reference Venntel, a major player in the data broker scene and DHS contractor. Although it’s true that Fog’s engineers could have named these API endpoints arbitrarily, the way they function does seem to suggest that Venntel is a source of location and device data for Reveal.

Notably, when a Reveal user performs any geofenced device query, that query is submitted to the URL path /Venntel/GetLocationData. Additionally, queries for specific device locations send a request to /Venntel/GetDeviceLocationData, and when a federal user makes a request for more device details, the frontend sends a request to /Venntel/GetDeviceDetails. This means that nearly all frontend requests having to do with searching device or location data are prefixed with “Venntel”. And this wouldn’t be the only connection between Fog and Venntel: many of the records EFF has received point to a close link between the two companies.

Conclusions

As we've seen, Fog Reveal provides law enforcement a powerfully invasive tool for searching huge swaths of commercially available location data. With a few clicks, its users can find not only the devices present in a location, but also everywhere else each of those devices went during other time periods. Its federal featureset, whether currently in use or not, demonstrates how much more invasive the tool could be by only revealing a handful of other fields.

If you’re not happy about the idea of your location data possibly being sold to companies like Fog, we don’t blame you. Luckily, there’s an easy step you can take to make it much harder for data brokers and companies like Fog to tie your location data to your device: disabling Ad ID tracking on your phone. Beyond that, we believe that there are changes needed at both the technical and legal levels to prevent this kind of invasive data collection and usage.


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What is Geofencing

It’s high time you integrate geofencing into your business. It’s proven to get you more sales, engagement, and loyal customers.

Geofencing is a location-based service that businesses use to engage their audience by sending relevant messages to smartphone users who enter a pre-defined location or geographic area.

There are smart companies that send product offers or specific promotions to consumers’ smartphones when they trigger a search in a particular geographic location, enter a mall, neighborhood, or store.

Do you desire to improve your customer experience? I’m sure you are, considering that 90% of customer experience decision-makers have agreed that a good customer experience is critical for their success.

And with customers being the major source of revenue for every business, delivering high-quality service through geofencing is important. If you’re into any form of digital marketing, you need to take this seriously as it’d help you acquire new customers and convert them into paying customers.

A Study by Bain & Company shows that a little increase of 5% in customer retention, can lead to a profit increase of 25% to 95%. Trust me, these numbers are worth paying attention to!

Since customer retention is too challenging, knowing how to interact with your potential leads in a more personalized manner will definitely help.

A research report by Experian shows that personalized emails sent to consumers have a great effect on open rate, triggered open rate, promotional click rates, and triggered click rates.

So, the earlier you start reaching out to potential and loyal consumers at the most relevant time, with the relevant product/service, the better the results you’re likely to get.

So how do you achieve it?

Simple: Integrate “geofencing” into your marketing strategy and you’d be amazed at the consistent results that you’ll get. Creating geofencing campaigns can truly transform every facet of your business.

Does it work? Well, Papa John’s is renowned for their Super Bowl ads, but they ran a mobile ad triggered by Geofencing solutions from ThumbVista, to promote their Papa Loyalty Programs.

At the end of the campaign, the brand recorded over 68K impressions with 469 actions taken resulting with a .69% CTR. They also gained a brand awareness with the rewards program in a new market area.

You might have heard of it, or this could be your very first time to hear it — and I guess you’re now wondering what it’s all about.

Having been introduced to geofencing and how it can help with customer service, let’s consider a few definitions.

What is Geofencing?

According to Techopedia, geofencing is described as:

“A technology that defines a virtual boundary around a real-world geographical area.”

While Wikipedia defines it as:

“Virtual perimeter for a real-world geographic area.”

It’s not some complicated programming language or complex development tool.

Geofencing is a technique of serving smartphone users with ads that are relevant to them, by creating a virtual perimeter or boundary around your business location which notifies users as soon as they enter the boundary.

In other words, geofencing can be regarded as a mobile marketing optimization strategy. So far, you could see the bright side of your business as you leverage on mobile ads that are targeted to your customers within a geographic location.

People are always ‘on the go,’ but they always have their smartphones with them — which they use to research products and services before buying them.

A report by the Office for National Statistics revealed that 58% of internet use ‘on the go’ is on mobile phones or smartphones.

For this reason, you’re no longer at a crossroad on whether you should start building geofencing campaigns or ignore it. Right now, it’s an important aspect of your marketing strategy.

Is Geofencing Right For Your Business?

Why is geofencing so important today?

You may not fully be aware, but let’s review some of the reasons that will make you kick yourself in the butt for not leveraging it:

i) Easy customer reach: When it comes to reaching out to your customers, geofencing is an option you shouldn’t neglect — because it notifies your customer about your product/services whenever they’re close to your business location through their mobile phone. That’s cool, isn’t it?

There’s no doubt as to the results it will generate, especially when you consider how addicted people are to their mobile phones.

ii) Instant consideration: Can you call the attention of your customers instantly when they walk by your store without shouting at the top of your voice?

I doubt.

Through geofencing, you’re able to trigger instant messages that pique a customer’s interest and nudges them to come check out the latest deals in your store. Remember that 90% of SMS are read within 3 minutes — so, geofencing campaigns help consumers make informed and instant decisions.

iii) Grows brand awareness: The mobile marketing strategy that leverages on geofencing provides local and multi-channel businesses, the chance to communicate with their potential consumers who are close by and ready to purchase through mobile phones.

These messages serve as a reminder to your consumers to choose your brand out of the thousands of other similar businesses around a particular location.

iv) Reduction in cost of marketing: With the high cost of creating ads campaign, using geofencing is sure to cut down the cost and still produce a great result — since it only focuses on local consumers and these consumers are likely to buy from you.

Geofencing is more like an extension of your restaurant, store or shop. And with geofencing you don’t need to stand in front of your store to call anybody that passes by, because you’ve already known your potential consumers.

You’re also provided with the opportunity to offer your products/services to your customers at the right time when they’re in need of it.

With the availability of GPS on virtually all smartphones and tablets, efficient tracking is now easier for both marketers and consumers.

This new development has also given rise to new marketing opportunities for online entrepreneurs, because they can now locate their potential consumers right on the go.

A lot of brands have recorded success through their geofencing campaigns — especially those with highly classified data that need utmost security.

Here are some of the business models or organisations that can make use geofencing application:

i) Asset management: The application will notify a network administrator when a company asset, meant to be used within the firm goes out. And from there, they can track the location and also lock it from being accessed.

ii) Fleet management: In this field, geofencing is used to notify a dispatcher when their vehicle goes out from its route.

iii) Human resource management: Here geofencing is used to restrict staff from having access to some spaces within the firm, without a second authentication.

iv) Drone management: It’s used to create a temporary restricted area for drones, during a sporting event.

v) Marketing: A brand can use geofencing to notify their customers of their coupons, new product, or ongoing promo when the consumer enters a specified geographical region with their mobile phone.

vi) Law enforcement: In this instance, geofencing can help the security authority when a person under house arrest goes out from the building.

How Does Geofencing Work?

So far, we’ve covered a lot about geofencing and what it can do for your business. Do you know how it works?

It’s simple though. Geofencing helps you to keep in control of your business by notifying you when a potential consumer is passing by your store, by a competitor’s, or entering into a predefined area.

To get it working, you need to use a mapping product like Google Map to map out the regions you want to geofence. This region can be in a circular or polygon shape in most cases.

Once your desired region is mapped out for geofencing, you can then target your consumers via their mobile phone’s GPS.

Then, you can monitor your geofence through the day for potential prospects or customers who might be interested in your offer. It keeps to track them until that parameter is breached — either they’re trying to enter or to go out.

In fact, for a successful geofencing to be attained, you also need to incorporate a definite customer targeting, and personalized messages.

Solely depending on technology is not effective.

Benefits Of Geofencing

The need to leverage on geofencing cannot be overemphasized. Though it’s still a new practice, but the rate of success achieved with it is immeasurable.

A study shows that consumers love receiving location-specific offers right on their phone, due to its location relevance and interest.

That said, here are some benefits you wouldn’t like to miss:

i) It serves as an ads portal: This is obtained when potential consumers are close to your store and you’re notified of their presence. Sending your new products to them, free giveaways and discounts, will definitely get them to consider your store.

ii) It targets your potential consumers: Social media has a bigger marketing opportunity since it’s populated with a lot of consumers that are ready to read your messages and stick to your brand.

But with the help of geofencing, you can focus your campaign to the user that are more likely to convert — especially those local consumers.

Interestingly, these are the consumers that will be excited to walk into your store and make a purchase after seeing your ads.

iii) It links your offline business to your online presence: With geofencing, you can notify passersby to look you up on social media for better customer engagement.

In fact, it serves as your gateway to your social media and internet identity.

iv) It provides real-time analytics: No doubt, a good marketing requires a to-and-fro conversation between the customers and the marketers.

Geofencing makes it a lot easier and more effective.

Because it notifies you as soon as a consumer enters your marketing region so that you can properly prepare to receive them in your store.

v) It offers a service: Since the mobile use rate is high and users are highly interested when they’re online, offering a free WiFi in your Restaurant, Bar, and Hospital will definitely improve customer experience.

This can be achieved by simply sending messages to passersby via geofencing, and notifying them of the free WiFi they can enjoy while in your place.

And don’t forget this has its benefits.

vi) It secures your products: Since you can keep track of people’s location with geofencing, it can also be used for tracking your employees and products.

With this technology, you get notified when an employee leaves his/her duty post or when a product is illegally removed.

Case Studies From Companies Using Geofencing

The use of geofencing is gradually becoming popular, though it’s a new marketing practice. Good news is, businesses have recorded lots of success with it. Let’s see:

i) Elle Magazine successfully increased sales with ‘shop now!’ mobile pop-up to connect potential buyers to selected stores, using the location-based offer. All thanks to geofencing.

ii) Uber Car Hiring Service also used geofencing at LAX to notify people around that they can get a cab to wherever they’re going within a minute, just with a click.

iii) Wal-Mart is another brand making it real big with geofencing. Their app comes with a store mode that picks up signals when a buyer is within the store, and delivers coupons and e-receipts.

Geofencing Tools

Getting appropriate marketing tools will help you get things done on time and more efficiently. Below are some of the best tools you can use:

i) xAd: This tool eliminates every form of assumption in marketing, because it serves messages based on your potential consumer’s location.

xAd has a proprietary platform that automatically creates boundaries around places often visited by a consumer. For example, a Restaurant, Shopping mall.

It’s with these insights that marketers can target ads to their customers when they’re within those locations.

ii) Koupon Media: This tool prompts a targeted offer to shoppers when they’re within the store.

Koupon Media has features that study the behavioral attribute of buyers within the geofenced locations, and uses it to present the buyer with offers they can’t resist while they are shopping.

iii) NinthDecimal: This helps marketers to target consumers near their own stores or competitor’s locations, with tangible media ads through phone calls, appointment requests, and couponing.

It also has a walking and driving map to easily lead your customers to your nearest sales point.

In Conclusion

“In today’s modern world, people are either asleep or connected.”

– Janice H. Reinold said.

Your customers are attached to their mobile phones all the time. It’s your responsibility to engage these customers when they’re not asleep.