Can you hear me now? NYCLU reveals the NYPD has been spying on cell phones since 2008

[Wireless News]

http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/_9JD4UVL3WvN_BGtskO3NQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3NfbGVnbztmaT1maWxsO2g9ODY7cT03NTt3PT EzMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/homerun/digital_trends_973/bb0f8442fb8d51b72493f90f7cf5300c (http://news.yahoo.com/hear-now-nyclu-reveals-nypd-193959953.html)The New York Police Department is spying on cell phones with military-grade equipment, and has been doing so more than 1,000 times since 2008, according to a report from the New York Civil Liberties Union. Stingrays mimic cell towers and are devices that can track location, collect the phone numbers-you have been texting and calling, and even intercept the content of those communications. It can also grab information from bystander cell phones when law enforcement targets specific phones. The equipment doesn’t require the involvement of carriers, and the NYPD confirmed to the NYCLU that it has not had any correspondence with any network carrier. The NYPD used stingrays-1,016 times between May of 2008 and May of 2015, and rather than getting a warrant, stingray use has largely been approved by “pen register orders,” a lower-level court order that’s not as protective as a warrant, according to the NYCLU.-To get one of these orders, the NYPD only needs to establish that the use of the information will be-“relevant to an ongoing criminal investigation.” Related:- Report shows evidence of phone spying tech being used in London The information comes from a Freedom of Information Law request made by the NYCLU in 2015. While the Department of Justice has been allowing the use of stingrays with pen register orders, last year it announced that it was abandoning that policy, except for emergency situations. “While the Department has, in the past, appropriately obtained authorization to use a cell-site simulator by seeking an order pursuant to the Pen Register Statute, as a matter of policy, law enforcement agencies must now obtain a search warrant supported by probable cause and issued pursuant to Rule 41 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure,” according to the Department of Justice’s policy guidance report. It’s not all surprising — as the NYCLU released records last year showing the Erie County Sheriff’s office using Stingrays without “judicial review,” contradicting statements made by the sheriff. New York State Police spent upwards of $197,100 of taxpayer money for this equipment, the NYCLU also found-last year. Related: -The FBI admits to the use of zero-day exploits, stingrays to catch suspects with or without a warrant In December of 2015, the FBI admitted to using stingrays to catch suspects, and the American Civil Liberties Union found-59 agencies in 23 states and the District of Columbia that own stingrays. “But because many agencies continue to shroud their purchase and use of stingrays in secrecy, this map dramatically under represents the actual use of stingrays by law enforcement agencies nationwide,” according to the ACLU website. In fact, the use of stingrays by law enforcement agencies extends outside of-the U.S. — to cities such as London —-SkyNews found-last year. While the NYPD has been suspected of using this technology before, the NYCLU points out that this report is the first time the extent of stingray use by the NYPD has been made public. The NYPD-and the NYCLU did not respond to comment by press time.



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