z*******n
发帖数: 1034 | 1 Lee Mathews Nov. 14, 2014 12:28 pm
What do Iraqi insurgents and U.S. citizens have in common? Both have been
targeted by aerial spying programs that use fake cell towers. It’s been
going on since 2007.
A report from The Guardian details a so-called “dirtbox” program, employed
by the Justice Department and U.S. Marshals to track movements of suspected
criminals. Authorities shove the dirtbox — a device that pretends to be an
ordinary cell phone tower — into a Cessna, then fly around the country
looking for lawbreakers.
They’re reportedly flying out of five major airports, and have a range that
’s good enough to cover nearly the entire U.S. population. A plane makes a
pass overhead and slurps up signals from cell phone users in hopes of
identifying a target. Once a suspect’s signal has been acquired, the
dirtbox is supposed to ignore other cell phones and focus on the target. By
that point, though, thousands (or even tens of thousands) of signals from
law-abiding citizens have also been intercepted.
While The Guardian says there’s no clear legal basis for what the Justice
Department is doing, an anonymous source assured them that they had received
judicial approval (surprise surprise). Bulk cellphone location harvesting
is something that NSA spokespeople repeatedly denied in the wake of the
Snowden leaks, but clearly someone in the U.S. government has been doing it.
The ACLU is calling the “dirtbox” program “the latest example of them
taking impersonation to the extreme.”
But hey, on a good note, the dirtboxes have been modified so as not to
interfere with 911 calls. I guess that means we should all be more
appreciative, right? | T**********l
发帖数: 12149 | 2
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【在 z*******n 的大作中提到】
: Lee Mathews Nov. 14, 2014 12:28 pm
: What do Iraqi insurgents and U.S. citizens have in common? Both have been
: targeted by aerial spying programs that use fake cell towers. It’s been
: going on since 2007.
: A report from The Guardian details a so-called “dirtbox” program, employed
: by the Justice Department and U.S. Marshals to track movements of suspected
: criminals. Authorities shove the dirtbox — a device that pretends to be an
: ordinary cell phone tower — into a Cessna, then fly around the country
: looking for lawbreakers.
: They’re reportedly flying out of five major airports, and have a range that
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