Slashdot Mirror
FBI Is Behind Mysterious Flights Over US Cities
New submitter kaizendojo sends a report from the Associated Press indicating the FBI has a small fleet of planes that fly across the U.S. carrying surveillance equipment. The planes are registered with fictitious companies to hide their association with the U.S. government. The FBI says they're only used for investigations that are "specific" and "ongoing," but they're often used without getting permission from a judge beforehand. "Some of the aircraft can also be equipped with technology that can identify thousands of people below through the cellphones they carry, even if they're not making a call or in public. Officials said that practice, which mimics cell towers and gets phones to reveal basic subscriber information, is rare." The AP identified at least 50 FBI-controlled planes, which have done over 100 flights since late April. The AP adds that they've seen the planes "orbiting large, enclosed buildings for extended periods where aerial photography would be less effective than electronic signals collection."
I'm sure it'll happen in his first hundred days.
He's not a corrupt stooge for corporate interests like Bush, and he says he really cares about me as an individual. The whole world will be different once Barack Obama is president.
I can't wait for Bush and his cronies like Rove, Rumsfeld, and Cheney, to leave office.
Didn't FBI come to life inspecting brothels?
Yes, but since most of the johns turned out to be Secret Service agents, they decided to focus their efforts elswhere.
...cause that would just be creepy.
Oh great, now I have to change the combination to my luggage, garage door, cellphone, and bike lock, because you posted all of them on the internet. Jerk.