Government agencies still spying on American phone calls without warrants

More than four years ago, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) exposed how government agencies have been using a phone hacking device to track American’s calls since 1995. This week, for the first time, Congress is hearing how the device is still being used in warrantless tracking of millions of phone calls.

In the Capitol Hill hearing on Wednesday, federal officials outlines some of the ways they use “Stingray” devices, which mimic telephone company cell phone towers to intercept and track phone calls. It was the first time in the twenty year history of the government’s use of the devices that security agencies have spoken about them openly, according to CNN.

Officials from the Justice Department and from Homeland Security claimed that they use the Stingray devices to track calls but do listen or monitor them. They also maintain that, under new rules adopted just last month, their agencies will require warrants for most phone tracking.

However, the agencies retain the authority to conduct warrantless tracking when they deem a scenario to be an emergency. Further, the federal officials acknowledged that they have provided funds to local police agencies across the country for purchasing Stingrays that they can use. Local police and sheriffs typically use Stingrays without warrants, and may not have policies against listening in on calls or reading texts.

Some Congress members were concerned about the potential for breaching civil liberties, if local agencies have few or no restrictions on the use of Stingrays.

FBI arrangements with local police on the use of Stingrays are tightly held secrets. But with the public information they could unearth, the ACLU has posted a map of the devices, along with a list of the federal agencies known to use them.