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March 14, 2014

Report: Local Police in California Using "StingRay" Spy Devices 
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In California, newly revealed documents show local police are using
powerful devices that allow them to secretly collect location and other
data from cellphones. Known as Sting Rays, the devices pose as cell
towers to intercept real-time data from all cellphones in a certain
radius. While their use by federal agencies was previously known, new
records obtained by News10 in Sacramento show Sting Rays are in wide use
by police forces in California, from Los Angeles to Sacramento and
Oakland, where they were used to make 19 arrests in 2009 alone.
According to News10, "When Miami-Dade police [in Florida] submitted a
grant application to buy a Sting Ray, they told the city council they
needed one to monitor protesters at an upcoming World Trade Conference.
Parking a Sting Ray outside the protest would give law enforcement the
names and telephone numbers of everyone nearby."

 

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