U.S. Marshals Service Reportedly Gathering Phone Data Through Airborne Surveillance

[Purveyor]

Source: Washington Post

By Ellen Nakashima November 13 at 8:05 PM

The U.S. Marshals Service is harvesting large amounts of data from Americans’ cellphones through devices mounted on airplanes in an effort to locate fugitives, according to two individuals familiar with the activity.

The program operates Cessna aircraft from at least five metro-area airports and collects data from law-abiding Americans as well as criminal suspects, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the story Thursday.

According to the Journal, the planes are equipped with two-foot-square devices — sometimes called “dirtboxes” — that mimic cell towers and trick cellphones into reporting their unique registration information and general location.

The Marshals Service, which protects the federal judiciary and apprehends federal fugitives, is a component of the Justice Department.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-marshals-service-reportedly-gathering-phone-data-through-airborne-surveillance/2014/11/13/d1a863d6-6b8b-11e4-a31c-77759fc1eacc_story.html

[truthisfreedom]

1. We're frogs in a pot.

Never knowing when to jump.

[WillyT]

2. K & R !!!

[longship]

3. Sourced from the WSJ, which was apparently sourced from Reuters.

However, both the WSJ and the WaPo have excellent reportage. (Ignore WSJ editorials.)

This story, although sourced from the WSJ, is under the byline of a WaPo reporter with credentials in the field of interest.

Ellen Nakashima is a national security reporter for The Washington Post. She focuses on issues relating to intelligence, technology and civil liberties.

As crazy as this seems, it appears that this is real (at least at this point).

[NutmegYankee]

4. How can they get a warrant?

"...and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." If you are flying a plane, you don't have a clue where you are searching. This just searches multiple homes at once in an illegal dragnet.

[cstanleytech]

7. I suspect it depends on what data they are collecting exactly.

If its just the ID of the phones and not the content of the conversations being held and or the messages being sent then they probably would argue before the court that the phones are broadcasting that basic info of location for all to see thus its legal.

[George II]

5. Duh.....

[99th_Monkey]

6. Who ISN'T gathering "data" on me?

That list is getting shorter by the day.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

11. No shit. And why do we still have crime?

With all the gadgets they have and the privacy we've given up, I figure crime should have come to a screeching halt like last week.

[BadgerKid]

8. Thought Google was fined

For likewise acquisition of untargeted data.

[cstanleytech]

9. I checked and it looks like they got fined in S Korea and Germany for it

but the fine they paid in the US was for impeding the investigation but not for gathering the data I believe.
As for this case its going to depend on what they are doing exactly as I said before, if its gathering up the contents of phone conversations and or text messages then its clearly a violation of the law if however its only the location of the phones then I doubt the courts will object.

[blkmusclmachine]

10. In case you all didn't know it, it isn't a democracy any more ...

[grasswire]

12. outrageous nt

[CrispyQ]

13. Privacy DOA

Wait until every citizen is required to have a TV & it's illegal to turn it off.