Device Lets LOCAL Law Enforcement Tap Your Mobile Phone With NO Warrant!

By Fair use, Link

I know that most people with a relatively general knowledge of technology understand that their mobile phones can be "tapped."

However, I think most people believe that only federal law enforcement agencies, such as the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) and the NSA (National Security Agency), are capable of doing things like listening in on your cellular phone calls and reading your text messages.

What if I told you that there is a relatively secretive device out there that may be being used by your local city and state police departments? What if I went on to tell you that this device is often used WITHOUT a court order or a warrant?

You would probably tell my I'm crazy, right? Or maybe I'm a conspiracy theorist. Or maybe I'm just plain NUTS!

Well guess what? You would all be wrong!

There is a device in operation right now that may just be picking up YOUR cell phone signal, and you would have absolutely NO IDEA nor would you know who is listening or what will be done with the information they garner.

That's scary, isn't it?

The device is called a StingRay, and what it does it scary. Essentially, it can fool your cellular phone provider and your cell phone into believing that it is an active cell phone tower. The technology is complicated, but simply put, it can simulate a cell phone tower and force your phone to connect to it. So, while your phone (and you) think that you are connected to your service provider's cell phone tower, you are actually connected to a StingRay device.

The image below illustrates the general concept.

By EFF - https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/08/fcc-created-stingray-problem-now-it-needs-fix-it, CC BY 3.0, Link

While there is some confusion as to what the device can actually do, many law enforcement officials claim that the device only collects identifying information of phones within an approximately one-mile range, but that it only stores the target information and does not listen to calls or collect text messages.

If that's the case, however, then they aren't much good, are they? Well, after doing some more research, I came across this Wired article that claims that documents obtained by the ACLU do indeed indicate that StingRay device is in fact capable of recording numbers of incoming and outgoing calls, recording phone conversations, and reading text messages. This article is also interesting in that it states that in March of 2015, the Justice Department released a new policy requiring that investigators obtain a warrant anytime a StingRay is to be used. There is nothing in place at this time, however, to regulate use by local law enforcement agencies.

What does this mean to your average law abiding citizen? Well, not much, really. If you are not breaking the law you probably have nothing to worry about. However, it's a privacy issue. The fact that the American Civil Liberties Union claims that 42 law enforcement agencies in 17 states now use the StingRay should scare even the most adept criminals.

If you want to know which states and agencies may be using the StingRay, you can read this article on the ACLU website.

It's also very evident that many of the agencies who possess this technology use it frequently and without a court warrant. In this Wired article, it states that police in Florida have used the device more than 200 times without even asking a judge for a warrant!

If you think that figure is surprising, the Baltimore police seem to be making much better use of the technology. According to this 2015 Baltimore Sun article, they have used it more than 4300 times!

Overall, I am dead set against the use of this technology without a warrant, and you should be, too. What gives the local and state police the right to tune in to our private conversations for absolutely no reason? If we allow this to go on, we will be losing our freedom little by little.

Thankfully, there are many people who agree with me, like Georgetown University law professor Laura Moy, who recently filed a formal legal complaint, arguing that the use of StingRay devices across the United States, and particularly by Baltimore police, violate Federal Communications Commission rules.

Another huge concern I have is public safety. You see, the StingRay cannot pinpoint just one phone when it is in use. All phones within the jamming area will be forced to connect to the device, which can actually cause a disruption in service. My concern is that if someone is requiring emergency assistance while their service is disrupted, they could become more seriously injured or even die if they cannot connect to their emergency services provider quickly.

Dr. Moy voices her safety concerns in her legal complaint. She states:

Cell site simulators harm the communities where they are deployed and the individuals in those communities Cell site simulators are harmful to individuals in their vicinity. These devices disrupt normal operation of the cellular phone network, preventing those within their reach from placing cellular phone calls normally. Disruption of the network extends to emergency calls. Worse, these disruptions to the cellular network and the life-saving communications it serves are not experienced equally by all Americans.

I couldn't have said it better myself!

Here's a great video that will explain the use of the StingRay more in-depth:

In conclusion, I think it's sad that the average every day person has to wonder whether or not their private conversations are being overheard by perfect strangers.

So folks, I don't want to scare you, but I'll leave you with this one little piece of advice...

Watch what you say and text!