States are starting to rein in law enforcement use of StingRay, secret surveillance equipment, used to track criminal suspects but in the process recording the location and acts or ordinary citizens. Washington, Utah and Virginia recently passed laws requiring court orders for the use of the technology, and the Justice Department set up new guidelines for the FBI and other federal agents requiring search warrants before using Sting Ray to gather e-mails, texts and other data from cellphones. (The New York Times, September 28, 2015, by Timothy Williams)
Police have used the StingRay technology to circumvent obtaining a court order since StingRay sets up a simulated cell phone towers to gather phone cell data. The FBI has colluded with Harris Corp., the StingRay manufacturers, to set up nondisclosure agreements over the use of the technology. Some police forces have even sacrificed convictions to keep their use of the technology shrouded in secrecy. (Scientific American, June 25, 2015, by Larry Greenemeier)