Our Cell phones are being Tracked via Stingrays

By Elizabeth Nelson

Did you have any idea that your cell phone was being tracked? Devices known as Stingrays, which are manufactured by Florida-based Harris Corporation, can secretly track and record phone users by mimicking cell phone towers.  They trick nearby cell phones into thinking they are part of the relay tower system that make up a cell phone network.  

What isn't being televised is that they have been a tool in law enforcement and civil liberties circles for some time now.   However, only now is the FCC taking a closer look at who else is using them against the American public.

In a letter reported Monday by the Washington Post, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler stated that the agency would create a task force to examine the threats posed by Stingrays, which is the trade name for a technology known as “ISMI catchers.”

The Stingray makes it possible to track the location of a cell phone user and, as Ars Technica reported, Harris Corporation also offers add-on technologies in the form of software known as “Fishhawk” and “Porpoise” that lets the Stingray operator listen to phone calls or capture text messages.

Wheeler’s decision to create the task force appears to have been prompted by a letter from Rep. Alan D. Grayson (D-Fla), who expressed concern that foreign governments and criminal gangs can use the tools to spy on Americans. Wheeler stated that the task force’s mission is to “protect the cellular network systemically from similar unlawful intrusions and interceptions.”  Read More Gigaom Newsletter

Did you also catch, as you were reading the letter that the sergeant also wrote, “in the past, and at the request of the U.S. Marshalls [sic], the investigative means utilized to locate the suspect have not been revealed so that we may continue to utilize this technology without the knowledge of the criminal element. In reports or depositions we simply refer to the assistance as ‘received information from a confidential source regarding the location of the suspect.’ To date this has not been challenged…”

The scary thing is, any technology that the State [pick a state] has at their disposal to use against us can also be used by gangs and foreign governments to use against us.  Sound far fetched? 

Oh, like say the Russian gang that just stole 1.2 billion user names and passwords and 500 Million addresses and how could we forget the credit card information breach at Target that they managed to get their hands on, to later use against Americans?  But why look that far, remember, Obamacare isn't secure and the feds aren't even required to tell their insured to notify them if there is a breach in security.