The International Business Times sought comments from me for an article about police departments in 18 states using technology called “Stingray” to track individual cell phones.
This quote is from the article:
“I think what scares citizens the most is either the intentional or unintentional statements about this technology made by the authorities,” said Barry Covert, a Buffalo, New York, attorney who criticized the local police for relying on Stingrays for everyday investigations. “Now people who are not the target of these investigations have been compromised, and we’re relying on the discretion of the law enforcement agency without any judicial approval or supervision. The Fourth Amendment doesn’t say you can take all this information and comb through it later.”
The article notes that Stingray is intended to be used in the local war on terror, but that it is also being used for drug-crime and other non-terrorism investigations. Police departments told The Times they aren’t allowed to talk about their use of Stingray. In fact, a letter from the FBI to a police chief in Tacoma, Washington, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, states the FCC authorizes the sale of Stingray only if municipal departments agree to sign an FBI non-disclosure agreement.
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