5 ms·

Secret Service and ICE conducted illegal surveillance through fake cell towers

67 points by Logans_Run 4y ago

Logans_Run 4y ago
IA link to Office of Inspector General report entitled Secret Service and ICE Did Not Always Adhere to Statute and Policies Governing Use of Cell-Site Simulators (REDACTED) https://web.archive.org/web/20230307201306/https://docs.reclaimthenet.org/OIG-23-17-Feb23.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20230307201306/https://docs.recl...
quantified 4y ago
Since Stingrays were first sold. Certainly during the Obama era, might have been Bush before that. During analog cell phone days, you could just listen in on scanners, as a Newt Gingrich scandal showed.
l3mure 4y ago
It's funny that these posts usually get minimal engagement, in comparison to posts about stupid corporate DEI nonsense which will have 900 commenters shitting their pants about how it's Literally 1984.
- JohnFen 4y ago
  I think that's probably because this has been discussed heavily for the years that people have been aware that it's happening. At some point, there's little more to say.
  - doubleg72 4y ago
    Exactly, it was every single week.. but someone shared a Reuters article Sat or Sun on this topic and now already another on Tuesday.
- kevviiinn 4y ago
  That's because of ingroup outgroup dynamics, partially but I think it's a significant part. Just look at what the perception of which activity negatively impacts the commenter's ingroup
- colpabar 4y ago
  Just face it man - nobody cares. There are probably people here who helped build the fake cell towers and indexed all the data. Either way, Biden’s president now so the good guys are back in control and we shouldn’t worry about the feds doing bad stuff. I’m sure he told ICE to cut all the malarkey.
- raxxorraxor 4y ago
  I dislike both. I believe that DEI is heavily involved with combating anonymity and freedom of expression, which both is not only tangentially connected to surveillance.
ROTMetro 4y ago
Someone should gather/identify agents technical ability as demonstrated by their testimony as it relates to the technical skill required to make the 'breakthroughs' they have in cases. Just saying. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Oh wait, we can't, because even though 'caselaw' is the law of the land and we should have access to case records (that are the registry for 'caselaw') we don't unless we pay big $$$. It's like everything is done to keep with the optics of following the Constitution but nothing is done keeping with the spirit.
steponlego 4y ago
It's not illegal if nobody is punished, really. Just naughty. But with no actual repercussions for the people who ordered, and carried out, the illegal surveillance, and no restitution to the people who were violated, it doesn't matter and will of course continue. That's the thing, stuff that's illegal for the government to do usually isn't because there's rarely any accountability.
- awesomeMilou 4y ago
  It's still illegal, it's just the same with punishing corporations: The entity in charge is a government agency that, while consisting of real physical people, it itself is just a legal entity without any tangible form. I.e. in the private sector a corporation pays a fine, in the gov sector someone maybe looses their job. But in both cases this doesn't change the work culture whatsoever.

67 points by Logans_Run 4y ago

IA link to Office of Inspector General report entitled Secret Service and ICE Did Not Always Adhere to Statute and Policies Governing Use of Cell-Site Simulators (REDACTED) https://web.archive.org/web/20230307201306/https://docs.reclaimthenet.org/OIG-23-17-Feb23.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20230307201306/https://docs.recl...

quantified 4y ago

Since Stingrays were first sold. Certainly during the Obama era, might have been Bush before that. During analog cell phone days, you could just listen in on scanners, as a Newt Gingrich scandal showed.

l3mure 4y ago

It's funny that these posts usually get minimal engagement, in comparison to posts about stupid corporate DEI nonsense which will have 900 commenters shitting their pants about how it's Literally 1984.

JohnFen 4y ago
I think that's probably because this has been discussed heavily for the years that people have been aware that it's happening. At some point, there's little more to say.
- doubleg72 4y ago
  Exactly, it was every single week.. but someone shared a Reuters article Sat or Sun on this topic and now already another on Tuesday.
kevviiinn 4y ago
That's because of ingroup outgroup dynamics, partially but I think it's a significant part. Just look at what the perception of which activity negatively impacts the commenter's ingroup
colpabar 4y ago
Just face it man - nobody cares. There are probably people here who helped build the fake cell towers and indexed all the data. Either way, Biden’s president now so the good guys are back in control and we shouldn’t worry about the feds doing bad stuff. I’m sure he told ICE to cut all the malarkey.
raxxorraxor 4y ago
I dislike both. I believe that DEI is heavily involved with combating anonymity and freedom of expression, which both is not only tangentially connected to surveillance.

ROTMetro 4y ago

Someone should gather/identify agents technical ability as demonstrated by their testimony as it relates to the technical skill required to make the 'breakthroughs' they have in cases. Just saying. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Oh wait, we can't, because even though 'caselaw' is the law of the land and we should have access to case records (that are the registry for 'caselaw') we don't unless we pay big $$$. It's like everything is done to keep with the optics of following the Constitution but nothing is done keeping with the spirit.

steponlego 4y ago

It's not illegal if nobody is punished, really. Just naughty. But with no actual repercussions for the people who ordered, and carried out, the illegal surveillance, and no restitution to the people who were violated, it doesn't matter and will of course continue. That's the thing, stuff that's illegal for the government to do usually isn't because there's rarely any accountability.

awesomeMilou 4y ago
It's still illegal, it's just the same with punishing corporations: The entity in charge is a government agency that, while consisting of real physical people, it itself is just a legal entity without any tangible form. I.e. in the private sector a corporation pays a fine, in the gov sector someone maybe looses their job. But in both cases this doesn't change the work culture whatsoever.