Mr Josh 3 Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 The U.S. is spying on a large number of Americans by scooping up cell phone data through devices installed on airplanes, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday. The WSJ details a Justice Department spy program that targets criminal suspects in the U.S. but also sifts through thousands of other cell phones belonging to innocent people through decoy cell phone towers installed in planes. These devices, known as “dirtboxes,†are attached to small Cessna aircrafts operated by the U.S. Marshals Service. The program is operated out of at least five metropolitan area airports on a regular basis. The planes’ flying range covers most of the U.S. population, sources familiar to the program told WSJ. During a single flight, the device has the ability to collect data from tens of thousands of cell phones, including the identifying information and location. The dirtboxes mimic cell phone towers, the kind used by large telecommunication firms. So, for example, for people with cell phones on Verizon’s network, the “dirtbox†can trick the phone and others into thinking that the plane is a Verizon cellphone tower. Phones that are turned on would “ping†the device and report its unique registration information. From the WSJ report: The technology is aimed at locating cellphones linked to individuals under investigation by the government, including fugitives and d--g dealers, but it collects information on cellphones belonging to people who aren’t criminal suspects, these people said. They said the device determines which phones belong to suspects and “lets go†of the non-suspect phones. The U.S. has reportedly used similar technology to locate terrorist suspects abroad and catch d--g dealers and fugitives within the country. People within the Marshals Service have doubts about the legality of the operation, WSJ reported. They have questioned whether the program is doing enough to minimize the invasion of privacy of ordinary citizens and if the data collected is handled effectively. “It is outrageous that this large-scale surveillance of Americans has been taking place in secret,†Nathan Freed Wessler of ACLU’s Speech, Privacy & Technology Project told BuzzFeed News. In a statement to BuzzFeed News, Wessler, a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, said: “The government’s use of powerful airborne surveillance equipment that sweeps up thousands of innocent bystanders’ cell phone information will result in wholesale violations of our constitutional rights to privacy. These devices pose a serious threat to the Fourth Amendment, and at a minimum there must be robust judicial oversight, full transparency, and strict limits on use.†Source Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sia 314 Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 Stalk ha Don't be insecure if you heart is pure, you're still good to me if you're a bad kid baby. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bionic 50,111 Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 Everybody should ring each other 24/7 and just have an MP3 of the iconic "yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas" played on a loop, non-stop. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whispering 18,865 Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 Fine by me. They are more than welcome to check out all my texts and conversations. I have nothing to hide, but there are a lot of people nowadays that do...and those people want to hurt innocent civilians. I'm all for this! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALX 170 Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 we knew this a year ago with the big NSA leaks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SychosSoChic 9,995 Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 Imagine all the nudes they must see Life ain't Hollywood for any one of us. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brizoda 4,177 Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 if all the government spies are spied at the same time, that's fair please spy on who spies on us Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastien 16 Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 I have nothing to hide, therefore whatever is better for national security. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo 327 Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 I may not have anything to hide but I don't want people snooping in my ****. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goosey 3,017 Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument "I am the world's greatest person that does not want to let people into the country."—US President Donald J. Trump Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luc 4,776 Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 I honestly don't care if I'm filmed everywhere I go by cameras, etc. I actually feel safer, knowing that a thief or terrorist is more likely to be caught. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
garnite 8 Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argumentyeah you really ought not to give up all your freedoms just because you have nothing to hide. personal freedom, integrity, privacy, dignity etc shouldn't be sacrificed just because you know you're not what they're snooping in your business for.i'm all for cctv because eyes are everywhere anyway but anything more than that feels sinister to me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
UDO 35 Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 they have known whats going on on everybodys cell phone ever since the cell phone was invented. and they don't need planes to do it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MahoganySnitch 67 Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 yeah you really ought not to give up all your freedoms just because you have nothing to hide. personal freedom, integrity, privacy, dignity etc shouldn't be sacrificed just because you know you're not what they're snooping in your business for. i'm all for cctv because eyes are everywhere anyway but anything more than that feels sinister to me. This tbh. Slippery slopes tend to be a fallacy for argument, but you do have to wonder what could come next if people are willing to give up freedoms. Not to mention that some authorities insisting that "if you have nothing to fear you have nothing to hide" suddenly plead the 5th when the script is flipped. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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