ACLU: Cops often violate Americans' privacy by warrantless cell phone tracking
April 2, 2012 - 2:27 P.M.
If you have a mobile phone, then so long as you are in range of getting a wireless signal, your phone pings a cell phone network tower numerous times per minute. That function cannot be turned off and the "threat to personal privacy presented by this technology is breathtaking." The ACLU warns, "Of all of the recent technological developments that have expanded the surveillance capabilities of law enforcement agencies at the expense of individual privacy, perhaps the most powerful is cell phone location tracking."
Previously, the ACLU published how long mobile phone providers store data for law enforcement access. Now, after receiving more than 5,500 pages from over 200 local law enforcement agencies about cell phone surveillance, the ACLU found that the "government is routinely violating American's privacy rights through warrantless cell phone tracking." More than likely, this sickens you but does not surprise you . . . especially in light of the feds trying to replace warrantless GPS tracking with warrantless cell phone tracking.
The ACLU added that very few law enforcement agencies "consistently obtain warrants" so mobile phone companies published "manuals for police explaining what data the companies store, how much they charge police to access that data, and what officers need to do to get it."
Some disturbing trends include police departments obtaining all of the cell phone numbers that used a particular cell tower. You have no control over what cell tower your phone uses, so cops snagging such information seems almost like a form of potentially guilty due to location. Other police want all the mobile phone numbers that called a particular cell phone. Is this guilty by association until proven innocent? Still other law enforcement agencies want everything that can be gleaned from a smartphone, including the owner's GPS coordinates.
More: http://blogs.computerworld.com/19971/aclu_cops_often_violate_americans_privacy_by_warrantless_cell_phone_tracking
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citizens choose to be naive about all of this. Often people will say, " ~ well, I'm a good citizen, I do nothing wrong." At that point I explain to them it's all relative as to whom is TPTB and what the current regime wants. Good times under one regime doesn't translate to good times under all regimes.
And what was considered the model citizens under one regime well might not be the case with the next one.
Too many fail to realize they are in the same net too. As you say, "Some days, it's not even worth chewing through the restraints."
if they are allowed to search my colon because i didn't signle while changing lanes?
