More Bay Area Police Departments Interested In Getting ‘Stingray’

KPIX CBS ^ | 11/14/4 | Christin Ayers

[Enlightened1]

It’s called a Stingray: A cellphone surveillance device so top secret, law enforcement agencies don’t even like to admit they have it. But KPIX 5 has confirmed Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose police are using Stingrays to track suspects.

Now, Fremont Police and the Alameda County District Attorney’s office are applying for federal grants to get a new version of Stingray, called Hailstorm. The use of the devices is increasing, potentially at the expense of your privacy.

You may think you are private when you’re talking on your cell phone, think again. From an undercover car or even strapped to a detective’s chest walking down the street, police are using a device called a Stingray to gather the serial numbers of surrounding phones.

They’re chasing a target, but sweeping up your identity, activity and location as well.

[Enlightened1]

Check out the video

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=10849342

[Kickass Conservative]

Gee, my Stingray can’t do that, but it goes 0 to 60 in 3.8 Seconds.

George Orwell, please pick up the White Courtesy Phone.

[faithhopecharity]

when the police are more criminal than the crooks.....

(we are indeed in deep, deep doo=doo...)

[Slings and Arrows]

Sheesh.

[headstamp 2]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lomcXq586b4

[Enlightened1]

Love it!

[Enlightened1]

Yes sir

[R. Scott]

I haven’t considered wireless communications secure for decades, maybe a result of my time in the Army.

[BCW]

[wetphoenix]

~I haven’t considered wireless communications secure for decades, maybe a result of my time in the Army.~

Any sane person agrees with you. And I won’t keep any sensitive data on any machine connected to any network as well.

As for ‘Stingray’ things like that exists for a decade, it is nothing new.

[xp38]

Exactly. If some mediots could listen in on a chat with Prince Charles telling Camilla that he wanted to be her tampon ages ago I think we can expect the same lack of privacy.

[Shimmer1]

That’s why I never do banking on the phone. It may well be a useless gesture, but that’s my line.

[OKSooner]

That's how it works?

First time I saw that was on the old TV show "Combat", where the krauts were monitoring Vic Morrow's radio transmissions and triangulating in the same manner.

I was eight or so and I understood it then...

Of course they didn't have a search warrant either.

[wetphoenix]

Well, I actually use phone banking keeping related account at no more than $1500 because it is very convenient for daily use. I literally don’t use cash in everyday transactions. Won’t trust any serious finance to it though.

[wetphoenix]

Russian air force actually killed the first Chechen president with such technology in 1996.
They had no idea where exactly the guy was but knew he was going to have a chat on Inmarsat phone one night.
They launched AWACS loaded with similar equipment and two fighter bombers to circle around Chechnya which is approximately 7000 sq miles in size.
It was quite a job as you see but technology is so good that AWACS has pinpointed him in minutes after the start of conversation, vectored the nearest fighter to target producing a perfect headshot with a guided missile.
Quite a large area was contaminated with his DNA samples afterwards.

[Flick Lives]

I wonder how much longer before police are given drones equipped with Hellfire missiles. Then they can really suppress those unruly serfs.

[bert]

What is criminal about receiving radio signals broadcast into the public air waves?

Although folks are coming to realize that their I phone or Android is really a small computer with communication capabilities, few understand it is also a radio transmitter. The voice, text or data transmitted from the device is converted into radio waves. The Brit term wireless has been used for marketing but the device is a radio transmitter.

There is no difference in the police recieving and interpreting the radio signals emitted by cell phones and the US Navy recieving and interpreting the morse code transmitted by the Japanese Navy and interpreted by the Magic code breaking machine.

If you demand privacy, do not transmit your voice, text or data over the public air waves by the cell phone radio transmitter in your hand

[BCW]

I think most people freak on being monitored...the thing is .... there are not enough analysts to go through it all...yes there is a potential of corrupt practices...but most of the time...LE is looking for a certain person...this stuff takes time....and one should be aware ...got employees will only do what is required...or not even that....I worry not about this stuff...unless it becomes so easy that anyone can own one of these....so ..be cautious and use good security on one’s mobile and go about life....encryption should be standard!

[ArtDodger]

Recently, a college girl in Charlottesville was abducted and murdered. Seems as if her drink was drugged and she was followed until collapsing then scooped up. She had a cell phone at the time. The police have been totally silent on this phone and its signal. Was she found using it? Did the killer toss it after the abduction? Once they had a suspect (with his own phone), could they go back to the records and check out locations of both signals at the time of the abduction?
My guess is the authorities are keeping this detection method quiet so it remains useful in investigations until the criminal minds wise-up to the tracking capabilities of the phones they and their victims carry in their pockets..