Indiana State Police Acknowledge Use of Cell Phone Tracking Device 155
An anonymous reader writes "Indiana state police acknowledge use of cell phone tracking device 'Stingray', tricking all cellphones in a set distance into connecting to it as if it were a real cellphone tower. A joint USA Today and IndyStar investigation found earlier this month that the state police spent $373,995 on a device called a Stingray. Often installed in a surveillance vehicle, the suitcase-size Stingrays trick all cellphones in a set distance ('sometimes exceeding a mile, depending on the terrain and antennas') into connecting to it as if it were a real cellphone tower. That allows police agencies to capture location data and numbers dialed for calls and text messages from thousands of people at a time."
Is this legal? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Is this legal? (Score:5, Interesting)
Even if it is technically illegal, and I don't know whether it is or not, who is going to arrest them?
Do police have a tendency to be held accountable for their abuse of power in your jurisdiction?
Explain it like I'm a 3 year old... (Score:5, Interesting)
How is this not illegal wiretapping?
Re:Is this legal? (Score:4, Interesting)
Do state police have the authority to use them as well? Do they have a special license from the FCC?
Surly you jest! Are you not aware that laws do not apply to "LE"? Especially when tracking "terrorists"? Come on, dude, get out of the basement!
And if the Boston coppers were passing this all on to a Three Letter Agency, you can bet the FCC knew and turned a "blind eye".
Re:Excellent! (Score:5, Interesting)
I have nothing to hide, and if this helps catch bad guys, it's still a tremendous invasion of privacy and morally wrong under just about any definition of "moral" you want to use (aside from the "moral = whatever the hell I say it is" definition that seems to be increasingly more prevalent).
If I spend my spare time doing the most boring, non-threatening things imaginable, that is nobody's business but my own. If I spend my spare time doing unusual or asinine things, that's still nobody's business but my own. If I spend my spare time hurting other people and committing crimes that result in damage... then hey, maybe it's time to look into what I'm doing, not before.
Moxie Marlinspike had a great article/journal entry/essay on this topic. I'm not saying he's the next hemmingway, but I'd rather let him explain why we should all have something to hide [thoughtcrime.org].
TL;DR - Lots of good things were illegal, once. Big things, like equality (smaller things, too).
Re:Excellent! (Score:4, Interesting)
I have nothing to hide. If this helps catch bad guys, I'm all for it!
There have been over 2,000 people sentenced to life in prison or death, who have been exonerated after it's been proven they did not actually commit the crime.
You might not think you have anything to hide, but you WERE the only cell phone in the vicinity of a grisly murder last week. And hey, you don't have a solid alibi, the cops don't have any other leads, and the Prosecutor is up for an election soon. So you can either spend the next 10 years of your life trying to fight through the courts, and get a death penalty for raping and murdering that child, or you can agree to life in prison without parole you twisted fucking piece of shit.