SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
from the to-protect-the-public-or-themselves? dept.
The New York Civil Liberties Union is pushing a new state bill that would require law enforcement to obtain a warrant prior to deploying a cell-site simulator, or stingray. The bill also includes other new restrictions.
Cell-site simulators, or fake cell towers, are often used by police to locate criminal suspects by tricking their phones into giving up their location. In some cases, simulators can also be used to intercept phone calls and text messages. Use of these devices has been heavily scrutinized in recent years—in September 2015, the Department of Justice said it would require its federal agents to seek a warrant before deployment.
[...] The bill, which was first reported by ZDNET, doesn't mention stingrays specifically. However, it specifically forbids law enforcement from accessing "electronic device information by means of physical interaction or electronic communication with the device" unless they have a warrant. There are a few narrow exceptions, such as exigent circumstances.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Snotnose on Sunday January 29 2017, @02:54AM
Biggest problem with stingray is it casts a very wide net, capturing info from everyone in the area. IMHO, if stingray gets info from even a single number they don't have a warrant for, the entire catch is thrown out. Even better, notify those people who got caught up in it without a warrant and let them file a civil suit against the department for anything my ambulance chasing lawyer can think of.
Fuck the LEOs, they know the law. They need to learn to follow it.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.