The FBI is making extraordinary efforts to keep the public from knowing much about Stingray devices, the technology that enables law enforcement agencies to set up surveillance towers that track the locations of cell phone users. The FBI falsely claims that the Federal Communications Commission requires law enforcement to sign non-disclosure agreements when buying Stingray technology and also encourages tossing cases rather than providing information about the technology. (techdirt, April 8, 2015, by Tim Cushing)
New York Civil Liberties Union had obtained records from the Erie County Sheriff’s Office about their use of Stingrays that revealed the extent of FBI efforts to keep the technology secret. (NYCLU, April 7, 2015)
The FBI is also tracking any attempts to obtain public records on Stingrays lining up state and local law enforcement agencies to notify them of any requests. (Ars Technica, February 10, 2015, by Cyrus Farivar)