“Surveillance
technology known as ‘Stingray’ -- used to trick phones into
connecting to them by mimicking cell towers -- can block or drop
phone calls and disrupt other mobile devices that use the same cell
network, according to a recent court disclosure. As RT reported last
month, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) recently disclosed
that law enforcement officials in Florida used ‘Stingray’
surveillance to track cell phone locations on more than 1,800
occasions, all without court search warrants.”
“The
Harris Corporation’s ‘Stingray’ is the most well known of the
controversial spying technology, used by the FBI, the Secret Service,
the Drug Enforcement Agency and many state and local police agencies.
By impersonating cell towers, the devices force phones in the area to
broadcast information that can be used to identify and locate users.
The ACLU’s recent disclosure included a court filing that uncovered
the ability of 'Stingray' to negate cell phone calls by either
downgrading mobile devices from 3G and 4G connectivity to 2G --
enabling them to access identification and location information -- or
by the devices' "catch-and-release" operations.”
“‘Stingray’
devices are small enough to fit in a police vehicle and can even be
carried by hand. They can identify telephone numbers, unique
identifying numbers, and the locations of all cell phones in range.
They can also log the phone numbers called and texted by a connected
phone. There has been much secrecy surrounding their use, as law
enforcement agencies adhere to non-disclosure agreements made with
the manufacturers of the devices.”
In
details:
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