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UK Police Won't Comment On The Tracking of People's Phone Calls

Posted by samzenpus on from the ask-me-that-later dept.

Daniel_Stuckey writes You've maybe heard a bit about Stingray. Over the past couple of years, it has emerged that police forces in the US have been using the powerful surveillance tool, which tricks phones into connecting to a dragnet, to track mobile devices, and intercept calls and text messages. Meanwhile, the London Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) continue to remain tight lipped about their use of the technology, leaving citizens in the dark on what privacy protections, if any, are in place for those who may get swept up by the broad surveillance techniques.

9 of 52 comments (clear)

  1. Well by Spad · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...leaving citizens in the dark on what privacy protections, if any, are in place...

    I'll give you a hint, there aren't any.

    1. Re:Well by Beriaru · · Score: 2

      They dont need any esoteric piece of technology. Just a call to the carrier, and there you are: all your sms and conversations. And thats for an anonymous citizen. If they have you in a list, you provably have a man in the middle for all your internet traffic.

  2. It's not extra-judicial by Bruce66423 · · Score: 4, Informative

    There is an judicial organisation with responsibility for oversight of this. The question is whether they are doing their job, and whether the penalties for abuse are sufficient. Given that the answer to both is probably 'no', we clearly do have a problem, but it's too simple to say it is 'extra-judicial'.

  3. Perhaps by Chrisq · · Score: 3, Funny

    Meanwhile, the London Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) continue to remain tight lipped about their use of the technology,

    perhaps they don't want to admit that they don't know how to work the damned thing. Truncheons and battering rams fine, but computers are a little tricky

  4. ECHR by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    The European Court of Human Rights recently ruled that collecting and storing IP addresses, as mandated by a related directive, is illegal. This is considered to be collecting evidence of a possible crime that may or may not happen in the future and before the person is even a suspect. The same most likely applies to phone records to a certain extent, too. I'm curious to see how this plays out in the next few years.

  5. Use a Cell ID identifier on a phone by stiggle · · Score: 2

    As each cell has a CID (Cell ID) you can get software which will display this, and other, information.
    If you know what the CID should be for a specific area then you can restrict your phone use if you don't recognise the CID.

    eg. 2 phones - one a burner you NEVER use, but is always on so you can track the CID,
    Your main phone you only switch on when you trust the CID of the cell you're in to make the calls.

    A public database of Cell ID - http://opencellid.org/ Its a little out on some of its info, but its a good starting point.

    1. Re:Use a Cell ID identifier on a phone by l_bratch · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Even if it is happening at cell tower level, who's to say they don't just duplicate a cell ID?

  6. You need to ask? by gweihir · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Ok, let me spell it out for you:

    - No privacy protection whatsoever. If you take nude pictures, they will be shared around or if you leave your phone on during sex they will be listening.
    - No need for reasonable suspicion to do this to you, a whim is enough.
    - And no accountability at all on their side.

    Clear?

    --
    Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
  7. This is England by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Here in England we dont do freedom anymore, it was far more important what was on the TV or what football was on,
    Free speech died. was nice while it lasted though. Opression is here !