Cellphone tracking: Stingray surveillance.

• Author: Pagels, Jim
• Position: Citings - Brief article

The FBI has declared its right to use devices--called "stingrays" or International Mobile Subscriber Identity catchers--that act like fake cell towers to monitor cell phone locations, calls, and texts, all without a warrant. The claim, made during private briefings with Senate Judiciary Committee staff, comes on the heels of a November Wall Street Journal report that small Justice Department aircraft could collect identification and location data from tens of thousands of phones per flight.

Nine states have passed laws requiring police to obtain a warrant before using a stringray to track a phone. It is unclear, however, whether citizens will know when the authorities use such devices. The Harris Corporation, a Florida-based company that manufactures the snooping tools, requires...