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Friday, June 06, 2014

US Marshals Transfer Controversial ‘Stingray’ Cellphone Surveillance To Prevent ACLU Review

Stingray equipment essentially acts as a fake cell tower and collects information from each of phone that connects to it

The US Marshals Services has intervened in a dispute between a Florida police department and the ACLU, with the Marshals sweeping in at the last minute to seize controversial cell phone records before the ACLU was able to review them.

Earlier this year the Florida chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the Sarasota Police Department in an attempt to compel them to turn over records on the police’s use of its “Stingray” devices.

The powerful Stingray equipment has drawn the ire of civil liberties advocates nervous about its ability to essentially act as a fake cell tower and collects information from each of phone that connects to it.

The ACLU, which asserts that the Stingray enables the “electronic equivalent of dragnet ‘general searches’ prohibited by the Fourth Amendment,” convinced the court to force the Sarasota police to make the documents available for review.

ACLU staff attorney Nathan Freed told Wired that the US Marshals sent an agent from the Tampa area to Sarasota to pick up the documents so the police would be unable to disclose them.

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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is what happens in Communist nations. We are there. This is Obama's fundamental transformation of the United States.
Liberals are SO stupid.

lmclain said...

You and I go are arrested and face jail for what they did, which is called "obstruction of justice". Also "conspiracy to commit obstruction". Thats for "we, the people".
Carry a badge and the law is, well, more like toilet paper and a judge's order is more of a "suggestion" than an lawful order.
Let the IRS order me to turn over my tax records. Then let me "transfer" them to an out-of-state attorney and claim "I don't have them anymore".
I'm going to need SEVERAL attorneys and I will STILL face prison time.
But the police? They just laugh.
Keep cheering.

Anonymous said...

9:38 If you think the police are behind this you are one of the reasons this country is in trouble. The "police" are fast becoming puppets of the Govt. Why do you think so many patriot groups support the Office of the Sheriff. The Sheriff does not have to bow to down to big govt. The Sheriff is the law of the of land and of the people. The power to do what was done in Florida went well above the pay grade of the "police". Power breeds corruption. If the person was a crook before being elected one has a monster on their hands.

lmclain said...

What??? The U.S. Marshalls AREN'T the police? Trust me --- I'm NOT one of the reasons our country is in trouble. Further the "Sheriff" is NOT the "law of the land and of the people".
He STILL is an EMPLOYEE of the people and as such, whether he likes it or not, ANSWERS to the people. Just like the rest of the "WE ARE THE POLICE!!" law-evading badge carrying individuals in this nation.
Lastly, you ignorantly claim the police aren't "behind this". Really? The whole thing started because THE POLICE were using the Stingray device to divert and direct calls to that device so they could SEARCH calls without a warrant, which they KNEW was illegal. The police. Knew it was illegal. But rather than try to defend their actions, they got ANOTHER police force to "confiscate" those records to shield THE POLICE from scrutiny.
If they thought what they were doing was legal, why all the shuck and jive to avoid disclosure?
I'm thinking YOU might be one of the cheering sheep that's causing our country so much trouble.
Look up the 4TH Amendement....