Posted on 11/13/2014 4:39:00 PM PST by Beave Meister
WASHINGTON—The Justice Department is scooping up data from thousands of cellphones through fake communications towers deployed on airplanes, a high-tech hunt for criminal suspects that is snagging a large number of innocent Americans, according to people familiar with the operations.
The U.S. Marshals Service program, which became fully functional around 2007, operates Cessna aircraft from at least five metropolitan-area airports, with a flying range covering most of the U.S. population, according to people familiar with the program.
Planes are equipped with devices—some known as “dirtboxes” to law-enforcement officials because of the initials of the Boeing Co. unit that produces them—which mimic cell towers of large telecommunications firms and trick cellphones into reporting their unique registration information.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Gotta pay to play.
Is it illegal or unconstitutional for a law enforcement agency to watch a road intersection for criminal activity because a law abiding citizen might walk through the intersection?
Unbelievable overreach.
The Stasi never approached what the US government does today...literally. They were limited to what could be photographed, taper recorded, transcribed, monitored.
These SOBs collect literally every communication sent, on everybody. It will all be stored, and then pulled out when someone needs to be slapped back into line.
The Marshals should be ashamed. They had a grand tradition in America. Sad to see them become part of State Security.
Is this connected to the news item a few weeks back about the ‘fake’ cell sites?
Some super secure phone was finding fake cells.
obviously a very unimportant story if Wall Street Journal won’t even let Americans read it
(don’t pay any attention to that guy behind the curtain!)
As usual, Obama keeps the status quo.
“Is it illegal or unconstitutional for a law enforcement agency to watch a road intersection for criminal activity because a law abiding citizen might walk through the intersection?”
Nope. But it is illegal as hell to detail search every car and person going through that intersection, just to see what you might find.
“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, 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.”
Where in that do you see authority to search, save and catalogue the most personal data of everyone who is in range? That’s utterly un-American. If all of your email, texts, search histories and photos isn’t your “papers and effects”, then what the would be?
When asked for comment, Mitch McConnell said that there would definitely be an investigation into this when he becomes majority leader in the Senate, but immediately ruled out any negative consequences whatsoever for anyone involved.
Is it illegal or unconstitutional for a law enforcement agency to watch a road intersection for criminal activity because a law abiding citizen might walk through the intersection?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
See here - It’s for Saaaafety.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=de5_1404543319
The WSJ article says the data on other than the actual suspect is not retained. So, why is that unconstitutional?
Most likely.
I could not read the article as I do not have a subscription.
:-\
I don’t have a subscription either. I went to Drudge, clicked on it and was able to read the entire article.
I am sure you will “relate” to it when you get pulled over, stri p searched and your car stripped if after that they say ‘,you are free to leave’.
Bunch of NAZIS....
Looking for a suspect, you do not get to search inside every home until you find their hiding place, and then say no foul on all the others whom you invaded.
How about steaming open every single mail envelope until you find the criminal? Is that ok as long as you seal them up and send them on their way?
And they said they don’t save it/ That’s why they are building that big center out by Dugway proving ground I guess. Kind of like Clapper said the NSA didn’t do domestic spying, lying under oath. Your trust that they don’t store it is nice. Wide eyed innocence is refreshing in this day and age.
You NAILED it.
“The WSJ article says the data on other than the actual suspect is not retained. So, why is that unconstitutional?”
4th amendment is utterly clear. It doesn’t have a clause that they may search anyone’s papers and effects and read over it without a warrant as long as they don’t keep the data when they don’t find what they were after.
You get a law degree in a Cracker Jack box?
Look, forget electronics, if they wanted to go through your desk drawer, or steam open you mail before it was delivered, everyone would know you need a warrant for one specific person. A general fishing expedition is the clearest violation of the constitution one can imagine.
But make it electronic rather than a physical piece of paper, and suddenly its ok?
This is the hallmark of every totalitarian government ever seen. Only we are doing it better.
Power without principles is evil.
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