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Local Police in Canada Used 'Stingray' Surveillance Device Without a Warrant (vice.com)
Jordan Pearson, writing for Motherboard: For years, Canadian police have successfully kept their use of controversial and indiscriminate surveillance devices called IMSI catchers a secret. Today, for the first time, and thanks to a year-long effort by a coalition of civil rights organizations and Vancouver-based Pivot Legal Society, we know that at least one local police force in Canada has used an IMSI catcher, also referred to as a "Stingray": the Vancouver PD. According to the BC Civil Liberties Association, which posted a blog announcing the news on Monday, the Vancouver police used an IMSI catcher once, nearly a decade ago, and without a warrant. "We sent a letter asking the Vancouver police if they'd ever used one of the RCMP's IMSI catchers, and if they would again," said Micheal Vonn, policy director for the BCCLA. "The answer to both questions was yes." The police force claimed that the surveillance device was used under "exigent circumstances," Vonn said, meaning that there was an imminent threat that couldn't wait for a warrant to be dealt with. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, the Vancouver police maintained in May of this year that they possess no records relating to their use of IMSI catchers.
My respect for the police is at zero. No wonder they are getting shot left and right when they behave like idiots.
Why are these legal at all? They're interfering with the normal operation of cellular devices, which is generally illegal. Also, these abuses exist because we allow them to continue. Why not demand that our taxes stop going toward these abuses and starve the beast? If the people collectively said no and refused to cooperate, this would stop.
The problem is that the WRONG ones are getting shot. Very few law enforcement officers actually abuse their authority; punishing people at random virtually guarantees you're punishing the wrong guy. Furthermore, cops are now crossing the blue line and ratting out their more abusive brethren, so the system is actually beginning to work the way it is supposed to work. By rights, those who condoned warrantless data gathering will be punished, preferably by a swift end to their career.
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
The way wiretapping works in most democratic countries is that you need an order from a judge to use a wiretapping a.k.a Stingray device. However, the device itself is not locked in the judge's basement and therein lies the problem. The device is at a warehouse in the police station 24/7, right next to the people trained to use it. All the "bad cops" need to do is fetch it from storage and deploy. No records, no judges, no trace unless you get caught. Hell, simply being in a hurry or being lazy may result in deploying the device without a court order even if its use is justified and would be permitted by a judge had you asked for permission.