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Federal investigators, according to the ACLU’s analysis of Justice Department emails, have “routinely” used a portable technology called a “stingray,” which masquerades as a cellphone tower by emitting a powerful signal. The goal is to trick nearby cellphones into connecting to the stingray, which can then gather data transmitted by the phones.
The device target the cellphones of intended suspects, but it can also capture the cellphone data of nearby innocent people for up to several kilometers.
The Justice Department has also argued that in-field use of the device was an innocent mistake by agents “using a relatively new technology,” but the emails obtained by the ACLU demonstrate that the government’s undeclared in-field use of the stingray was not isolated to the Rigmaiden case.
For example, an email chain dated May 2011 showed that federal investigators were still using the technology in the field, although their court applications for surveillance failed to “make that explicit.”
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) also obtained documents from the FBI in February 2013 that revealed the technology not only targeted Rigmaiden, but also innocent cellphones within the vicinity of the signal.
The documents showed that the bureau’s agents have been using “cell site simulator” technologies since 1995.
The FBI told The Wall Street Journal in 2011 that the bureau “considers the devices to be so critical that it has a policy of deleting the data gathered in their use, mainly to keep suspects in the dark about their capabilities.”
“We hope that the court sends the clear message to the government that it cannot keep judges in the dark,” said Lye. “Judges are not rubber stamps – they are constitutional safeguards of our privacy.”
Federal government electronic surveillance has reportedly seen a dramatic increase over the past several years.
A 2012 report by the ACLU revealed that between 2009 and 2011, warrantless electronic surveillance requests by the Justice Department to spy on phone communications increased 60 percent from 23,535 to 37,616.
Google — in its period transparency report — has also reported a continual rise in the number user data requests filed by governments, including the U.S.
People need to be vocal about this warrantless invasion of our privacy.
Originally posted by seeker1963
reply to post by eXia7
People need to be vocal about this warrantless invasion of our privacy.
They should...................but they won't! Instead, they will just go to the voting booth and either select a D or an R and come on ATS and bitch about which party is more evil than the other! Am I the only one who see's the insanity in this kind of thought process??
The lesser of two evils is STILL EVIL!
Hmmmmm, I wonder what will happen when the BRIC's put together their new bank and the dollar collapses, who they will blame then? After all, the only reason the FED can print money out of thin air is because the dollar is the recognized global currency in the markets ay?
Originally posted by Lil Drummerboy
Why not,.
Your Local police dept already has the ability to track you for what ever
reason they deem necessary.
Originally posted by Lil Drummerboy
reply to post by eXia7
One would like to believe that something could be done to stop the invasion of privacy,.
but the mass of people needed to speak up and rally about would need to be massive,.
People in general still believe their doctors are looking out for their best interest along
with the CDC, FDA, and USDA,. try getting them to buy into this,. is .. well..pointless.
Best choice,. keep yourself untrackable when you need to
Well, I understand people vote in ignorant people, then complain.. but I tend to believe that people haven't really voted these people in.. if you believe in the voter fraud theories. A lot of these officials are appointed, not elected. In the spirit of ATS, I've been trying to contribute as much information that I can pertaining to erosion of freedoms, and hope that it makes a difference. I'm not really complaining, more like trying to provide some content to ATS for discussion.