Civilian security is alive and well, because of local terrorism investigations mandated by the Patriot Act. According to L.A. Weekly, the latest risk to an individual's privacy and liberty is a real-time cellphone spy gadget called StingRay. While intended for intercepting terrorist transmissions, reports suggest that the LA Police Department used StingRay 21 times in a four-month duration of 2012 for routine inspections, where non-suspects' private devices were uncovered, unknowingly to the court system. Call it collateral damage, as the non-suspects lived near persons the LAPD thought were terrorists. Better yet, call it collateral erosion of the individual rights of complacent citizens.
Listening in on calls
StingRay technology has been used since 2006 by the LAPD. LAPD officials have not made any comment about whether or not it has the legal right to use the technology in inappropriate ways, but it has been using it in many cases, such as homicide, narcotic and burglary inspections. The LAPD was only intended to use StingRay mobile phone technology for terrorism inspections, but certainly it did not just do that. Between June and September of last year, there were 155 StingRay cellular phone investigation cases, and 13 percent of them listened in on calls for non-suspects.
The First Amendment Coalition executive director Peter Scheer does not think the LAPD should be able to use this sort of technology. It is pretty much extremely hard to keep away from intercepting other people with the StingRay technology, according to those who use the technology, but the LAPD guides do not even make it clear whether or not this is unlawful.
Secretly looking at information
Another troubling aspect of StingRay to civil privileges advocates is that the technology can circumvent the standard process of requesting location data from carrier networks before eavesdropping. Usually, regulators have needed a court order before gaining access, but with StingRay, regulators can get around carrier monitors entirely in secret.
All about privacy
At this juncture, there's still an excellent deal of disagreement over StingRay's place amongst privacy regulations. The sophistication of the technology has put it ahead of the judicial curve, and ACLU attorneys like Linda Lye see StingRay as something that demands legal reassessment, as the potential for privacy violations is tremendous.
Listening in on calls
StingRay technology has been used since 2006 by the LAPD. LAPD officials have not made any comment about whether or not it has the legal right to use the technology in inappropriate ways, but it has been using it in many cases, such as homicide, narcotic and burglary inspections. The LAPD was only intended to use StingRay mobile phone technology for terrorism inspections, but certainly it did not just do that. Between June and September of last year, there were 155 StingRay cellular phone investigation cases, and 13 percent of them listened in on calls for non-suspects.
The First Amendment Coalition executive director Peter Scheer does not think the LAPD should be able to use this sort of technology. It is pretty much extremely hard to keep away from intercepting other people with the StingRay technology, according to those who use the technology, but the LAPD guides do not even make it clear whether or not this is unlawful.
Secretly looking at information
Another troubling aspect of StingRay to civil privileges advocates is that the technology can circumvent the standard process of requesting location data from carrier networks before eavesdropping. Usually, regulators have needed a court order before gaining access, but with StingRay, regulators can get around carrier monitors entirely in secret.
All about privacy
At this juncture, there's still an excellent deal of disagreement over StingRay's place amongst privacy regulations. The sophistication of the technology has put it ahead of the judicial curve, and ACLU attorneys like Linda Lye see StingRay as something that demands legal reassessment, as the potential for privacy violations is tremendous.
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