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Catalogue of Government Gear For Cellphone Spying (theintercept.com)
Advocatus Diaboli sends word that The Intercept has obtained a secret catalog of surveillance gear used by the U.S. from a concerned intelligence official. They report: "The intercept has obtained a secret, internal U.S. government catalogue of dozens of cellphone surveillance devices used by the military and by intelligence agencies. The document, thick with previously undisclosed information, also offers rare insight into the spying capabilities of federal law enforcement and local police inside the United States. The catalogue includes details on the Stingray, a well-known brand of surveillance gear, as well as Boeing 'dirt boxes' and dozens of more obscure devices that can be mounted on vehicles, drones, and piloted aircraft. Some are designed to be used at static locations, while others can be discreetly carried by an individual. They have names like Cyberhawk, Yellowstone, Blackfin, Maximus, Cyclone, and Spartacus. Within the catalogue, the NSA is listed as the vendor of one device, while another was developed for use by the CIA, and another was developed for a special forces requirement. Nearly a third of the entries focus on equipment that seems to have never been described in public before."
Another set of leaked documents they received allowed them to write a whole series of articles about the federal government's drone program. AFAIK, the source of that leak has yet to be identified and the feds have been refusing to comment.
The most frustrating thing about drone wars, bank bailouts, foreign invasions, mass surveillance, etc. is that these scumbags fund themselves by confiscating our wealth.
and your proof is....where?
I'm sure you have evidence that each and every device listed has been used against America's citizens.
Oh, wait. you don't. you ASSume.
Apparently, you've been living under a rock for quite some time. Let me catch you up to speed real quick:
It's come out that most of the Law Enforcement community has been utilizing tech toys, previously reserved for the intelligence agencies and military, domestically ( under the guise of " Because Terrorists ! " ) to effectively spy on American Citizens or to help create what is known as Parallel Construction for building a case.
The use and / or procurement of said devices come with Non Disclosure Agreements with the FBI and the company who makes the devices. The will even go so far as to drop a watertight case against a criminal if they believe their secrets about said devices may be compromised. That's how badly they don't want John Q. Public to know what they're capabilities are. ( What does that tell you ? )
If you think, for one minute, that the use is limited to one type of unit, you are being naive. We KNOW about the one but, rest assured, it is not the only toy they are using to keep tabs on everyone. The power it gives them over everyone else is just too addicting to give up willingly. It will have to be taken from them by force.
Look, nsa, DOD, and CIA will make heavy use of these overseas to find and track ISIS, AQ, etc. That should not be the least bit surprising. In fact, I'm sure that we make all of this equipment available to the 5 eyes, as well as other allies.
What should matter should only be the cases when it is found to be used by agencies like FBI or local police and without a legal warrent. Once this equipment is illegally, then you have a real issue.
This is a classic example of American double-standards. It's OK to undermine and abuse non-Americans' civil rights just as long as you don't do it to Americans. Well, the rest of the world hears this from American politicians, the military, and pundits. What kind of an impression do you think this makes? Do you think you're winning hearts and minds in the so called "War on Terror"?