Little brother is watching.
Via Mashable:
The Department of Justice announced on Thursday that it will require several federal agencies including the FBI to obtain a warrant before pinpointing the location of a cellphone, but the new policy doesn’t apply to police.
The new policy also curbs what information federal agents are allowed to collect from cellphones, and how long they can legally store it.
Police and federal agents use what’s commonly called a StingRay to track cellphones. It’s a type of “cell-site simulator” technology that acts like a cell tower, meaning cellphones connect to StingRays by mistake. Once connected, cellphones transmit general location data to the device.
Nathan Wessler, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, called the ruling a “positive first step” but despaired of the many loopholes.
“Disturbingly, the policy does not apply to other federal agencies or the many state and local police departments that have received federal funds to purchase these devices,” Wessler said in a statement on the ACLU’s website.
The DOJ hailed the change as a step toward transparency and legal consistency across the federal government, but also talked about how important StingRays have become to law enforcement.
“Cell-site simulator technology has been instrumental in aiding law enforcement in a broad array of investigations, including kidnappings, fugitive investigations and complicated narcotics cases,” the DOJ said in an online statement.