Sheriff Admits to Cell Phone Spying Technology

[ionbasa]

The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department acknowledged this week that it possesses and uses surveillance technology that allows detectives to collect location data from the cell phones of investigative targets, possibly without a court order.

 

The so-called “Stingray technology” is controversial in part because it also collects location data from nearby cell phone users. However, Sheriff Scott Jones said in a statement released to The Sacramento Bee that such “collateral” data is not kept by investigators.

 

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/07/31/6596112/sacramento-sheriff-acknowledges.html

 

Well at least someone finally admitted it to the public... What scares me the most is the lack of requiring a court order in order to collect data on citizens, I guess the 4th Amendment no longer applies. 

 

To get a better understanding of how Stingray technology works check out this article byExtremeTech: http://www.extremetech.com/mobile/184597-stingray-the-fake-cell-phone-tower-cops-and-providers-use-to-track-your-every-move

 

stingray is a false cell phone tower that can force phones in a geographical area to connect to it. Once these devices connect, the stingray can be used to either hone in on the target’s location or, with some models, actually eavesdrop on conversations, text messages, and web browser activity. It’s not clear how much the police cooperate with the cell phone carriers on this — in at least some cases, the police have gone to carriers with requests for information, while in others they seem to have taken a brute-force approach, dumping the data of every single user on a given tower and then sorting it to find the parties they’re interested in tracking. Stingrays can be used to force the phone to give up its user details, making it fairly easy for the police to match devices and account holders.

Personally, I now do believe that people in the USA are living in a police state, especially since we don't know how the data collected is used, or if it has been abused in the past and present.

 

EDIT: What a 'stingray' looks like:

[RelentlessAF]

So are they tracking us because they want to arrest us or just to waste time? It's kind of pointless if it's the latter, and I have no problem with the former if the person is actually a criminal.

 

EDIT: Also define "police state" it depends where you live, around where I live the police are never an issue for anyone. Non-oppressive, non-invasive and are all really nice people. But in places like big cities they can be complete assholes. That has to do with larger pools of people though and the probability of them being a jerk to people.

[Vacsol]

this some watch_dogs type shit rite here bruh

[Vacsol]

So are they tracking us because they want to arrest us or just to waste time? It's kind of pointless if it's the latter, and I have no problem with the former if the person is actually a criminal.

the key word here is "unwarranted" which means they don't need any evidence that you're a criminal in order to use this to spy on you.

[ionbasa]

the key word here is "unwarranted" which means they don't need any evidence that you're a criminal in order to use this to spy on you.

Exactly. Which is why I'm concerned...

[RelentlessAF]

the key word here is "unwarranted" which means they don't need any evidence that you're a criminal in order to use this to spy on you.

Define "spy" like find your location or listen to your conversation? Either way this doesn't really effect me personally as I never use my phone for calling anyone important.

[Altecice]

ewww at that 10/100 RJ45.

[ionbasa]

Define "spy" like find your location or listen to your conversation? Either way this doesn't really effect me personally as I never use my phone for calling anyone important.

Basically they can geolocate general users phones, track their habits like call times, Call Log, listen in on conversations, maybe intercept network data. Network data interception isn't specifically pointed out in the article, but I would conclude that that is collected too. A little bit of useless information can always be cobbled together to create a 'profile' of people.

[Hidden Orange]

this some watch_dogs type shit rite here bruh

Except in real life, we don't have any performance issues like frame drops, pop-ins, and poor optimization overall. We do, however, have stupid AI and therefore incompetent security. A true police state should control all and control aggressively. A police state should make examples of criminals and innocents alike. A police state is fear and absolute. What we have here is a failure of a system that allows people to actually live their lives within some reason.

[Vacsol]

Define "spy" like find your location or listen to your conversation? Either way this doesn't really effect me personally as I never use my phone for calling anyone important.

this applies to the vast majority of cell phone users, not just you directly.

you should definitely be against this as it violates the rights of everyone whether you are calling someone important or not.

 

and by "spy" I mean listening in on private conversations without warrant, consent or notification.

[RelentlessAF]

Basically they can geolocate general users phones, track their habits like call times, Call Log, listen in on conversations, maybe intercept network data. Network data interception isn't specifically pointed out in the article, but I would conclude that that is collected too. A little bit of useless information can always be cobbled together to create a 'profile' of people.

Something to be expected in an age so dependent upon technology but not advanced enough to compensate for it. Just looking at the percentages of people in this country alone who don't know anything about technology is a problem. If you don't understand a vital function of society that is a huge problem. This lack of understanding leads to things like this happening, no one has a clue about how simple this is for the police to do or have been doing. If they did steps could be made to prevent it or establish laws against it but again we are held back by the majority having an incompetence for technology at even a basic level.

[RelentlessAF]

this applies to the vast majority of cell phone users, not just you directly.

you should definitely be against this as it violates the rights of everyone whether you are calling someone important or not.

 

and by "spy" I mean listening in on private conversations without warrant, consent or notification.

Privacy is only something you have within your own home, the right to privacy is not protected in a public place. Which is why you can be filmed, photographed, etc. without consent in a public place. If they do this to you within your home than yes that is against your rights to privacy in public it is not.

[AndThenThereWas1]

I live in Sacramento and a majority of cops here are scumbags. They abuse their power and treat people like shit. Someone needs make an app that tells you what tower you are connected to. Each tower must have a unique signature so i imagine it shouldn't be that hard to detect that the phone has connected to an unknown tower.

[Vacsol]

Privacy is only something you have within your own home, the right to privacy is not protected in a public place. Which is why you can be filmed, photographed, etc. without consent in a public place. If they do this to you within your home than yes that is against your rights to privacy in public it is not.

They can do this if you're in your house, in private property etc.

[ionbasa]

Privacy is only something you have within your own home, the right to privacy is not protected in a public place. Which is why you can be filmed, photographed, etc. without consent in a public place. If they do this to you within your home than yes that is against your rights to privacy in public it is not.

Not necessarily in your home, but also on private property. There is no way to know if your phone was tapped while at home, at work, or just out for a coffee. The scary part is not knowing where this 'man in the middle attack' took place. The article points out that this affects all cell phones in an area, not just the targets phone. Meaning, that others data may have been compromised, and those people would not know.

 

I live in Sacramento and a majority of cops here are scumbags. They abuse their power and treat people like shit. Someone needs make an app that tells you what tower you are connected to. Each tower must have a unique signature so i imagine it shouldn't be that hard to detect that the phone has connected to an unknown tower.

Unfortunately, I don't think you would be able to know if you are connected to a stingray. Mainly because the technology revolves around a 'man in the middle' attack, and because they spoof actual cell phone towers.

[deVIZtation]

If they want to track me going to and from work, let them. They know where I work and live, it won't be hard to find me.

[connorpiper]

this some watch_dogs type shit rite here bruh

 

But with physics.

[Ruostunut kokis]

BTW if law enforcement is allowed to do this, are civilians allowed to wiretap into phone calls to some extent? Just a random question that came in mind, since here civilians are actually allowed to wiretap other civilians' phone calls, but not record them. Reading other people's text messages without their permission is against the law though, no matter how you do it.

[ionbasa]

BTW if law enforcement is allowed to do this, are civilians allowed to wiretap into phone calls to some extent? Just a random question that came in mind, since here civilians are actually allowed to wiretap other civilians' phone calls, but not record them. Reading other people's text messages without their permission is against the law though, no matter how you do it.

Civilians aren't allowed to tap into 'private' phone calls. Things that are allowed though are:

• Listening in on non encrypted radio channels
• Listening in on HAM/Ameature Radio transmissions
• Listening in on unencrypted Fire, Paramedic, Police, and law enforcement transmission
• Listening in on Airport radio transmissions, aviation transmissions, and marine radio.

Personally I have done most of the things on that list as my ameature radio can tranmist on a multitude of frequencies and also listen in on them. Note that interfering with radio transmissions is a big no-no. I would never transmit over atop an airport weather transmission, for example.

[Ngrungebb91]

Civilians aren't allowed to tap into 'private' phone calls. Things that are allowed though are:

• Listening in on non encrypted radio channels
• Listening in on HAM/Ameature Radio transmissions
• Listening in on unencrypted Fire, Paramedic, Police, and law enforcement transmission
• Listening in on Airport radio transmissions, aviation transmissions, and marine radio.

Personally I have done most of the things on that list as my ameature radio can tranmist on a multitude of frequencies and also listen in on them. Note that interfering with radio transmissions is a big no-no. I would never transmit over atop an airport weather transmission, for example.

 

Oh and a BIG NO-NO is to transmit a signal on 10Mhz. The feds will come to your door for that. Learned about that in my Communications class

[ionbasa]

Oh and a BIG NO-NO is to transmit a signal on 10Mhz. The feds will come to your door for that. Learned about that in my Communications class

Amateurs are allotted a short segment for CW on 10.15 Mhz. But thats all that is really allowed. The 30 Meter band is really congested in my opinion, it has everything from Aeronautical radio, spacecraft telecomunication, to even new Cellular LTE being provisioned. 

[Guest]

When I rule the galaxy I shall abolish all this nonsense. 

[Ngrungebb91]

Amateurs are allotted a short segment for CW on 10.15 Mhz. But thats all that is really allowed. The 30 Meter band is really congested in my opinion, it has everything from Aeronautical radio, spacecraft telecomunication, to even new Cellular LTE being provisioned. 

 

Ohh hmm interesting. Didn't know they allowed a little bit. Yeah i definitely agree with you. When I was first introduced to HAM Radio in college, I was amazed by what was broadcasting. So many people do it and most of the population isn't aware of it.

[ToxicFire]

Ohh hmm interesting. Didn't know they allowed a little bit. Yeah i definitely agree with you. When I was first introduced to HAM Radio in college, I was amazed by what was broadcasting. So many people do it and most of the population isn't aware of it.

 

And the irony of that is that without HAM's some of the recent natural disasters in the world including the US, and 9/11 could have been much much worse as the standard communication systems were either overloaded, wiped out or just fell over

[Trik'Stari]

So, the prices on my tinfoil hats just went up.

 

GET'EM WHILE THEY'RE STILL AVAILABLE