Before Using StingRays, Police Must Sign NDA With FBI

v3rgEz writes Advanced cell phone tracking devices known as StingRays allow police nationwide to home in on suspects and to log individuals present at a given location. But before acquiring a StingRay, state and local police must sign a nondisclosure agreement with the FBI, according to documents released via a MuckRock FOIA request. As Shawn Musgrave reports, it's an unusual setup arrangement for two public agencies to swear each other to secrecy, but such maneuvers are becoming more common.

Comments

More common, and possibly unconstitutional...

[Anonymous Coward]

Because if they don't get a warrant, and don't tell the judge how they acquired the evidence, it's still OK, right?

Re:More common, and possibly unconstitutional...

[NormalVisual]

Never happen. A previous poster alluded to parallel construction - what will happen is the suspect's calls will be listened to, then another agency will be given a time, location, and a car to look for. The suspect's car will get pulled over for failure to use a turn signal or some such, at which time a dog will be brought in, "alert" on the car, and the suspect will be arrested. These guys *know* that Stingray-gathered evidence won't hold up since the device itself can't be examined, and that operating them is contrary to FCC regulations to begin with. They can't allow any information gathered from them to be introduced into court, so parallel construction neatly solves all of their problems.

Re:What if they break the NDA?

[Charliemopps]

Who goes to jail? Everyone who signed the NDA?

Edward Snowden. He's also responsible for all future acts of Terrorism, wars, and the color Beige.