Mass surveillance programs operated by an alphabet soup of three- and four-letter government agencies are an undeniable fact in today’s post-Snowden era. Whether or not most Americans are aware of the wide-ranging surveillance programs is another question, but the fact remains that the U.S. government has been monitoring communications in the United States and abroad for at least two decades.
While past efforts typically involved federal government agencies, a new generation of products known as cell site simulators are being used by a growing number of local police departments and federal agencies. The most popular brand of simulators is made by the Florida-based Harris Corporation and sold under the brandname “Stingray” or “Stingray II.” Newer models are also being sold under the name Hailstorm.
Reports about Stingrays first began to surface in 2011, but details on the devices have only recently been revealed to the public. Just last month, a New York Supreme Court judge ruled that the Erie County Sheriff’s Office must comply with public records requests regarding the devices. The ACLU of New York sued the Sheriff’s Office after it failed to respond to requests for information on how the devices are used. Justice Patrick NeMoyer sided with the NYCLU and ruled that the Sheriff’s Office must hand over the data. NYCLU Staff Attorney Mariko Hirose, lead counsel on the case, said the decision “confirmed that law enforcement cannot hide behind a shroud of secrecy while it is invading the privacy of those it has sworn to protect and serve.”
http://www.mintpressnews.com/investigation-secrecy-around-stingray-cell-surveillance-persists-despite-growing-transparency-efforts/204367/
You thought you lived in the land of the free and the home of the brave, didn't you?
You were wrong.
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