BART Police Accused of Illegally Collecting Private Cell Phone Data and Tracking Riders Through App

[TexasTowelie]

A federal class-action lawsuit filed today in San Francisco by an Albany resident alleges that BART police have been secretly collecting data that can identify private cell phones and track the mobile devices of anyone who has downloaded the "BART Watch" app.

According to the lawsuit, the agency has been "secretly amassing tens of thousands of cellular identifiers linked to personally identifiable information."

The transit district rolled out the BART Watch app in August 2014 as a means for riders to report criminal activity and other concerns.

The app allows riders to send photos and exchange text messages with BART police in real time. Tens of thousands of members of the public have downloaded the app, which is made by Elerts, a Massachussetts technology firm that has provided similar software to other regional transit agencies, including Santa Clara and Sacramento.

Read more: http://www.eastbayexpress.com/SevenDays/archives/2017/05/22/bart-police-accused-of-illegally-collecting-private-cell-phone-data-and-tracking-riders-through-app

[Throck]

1. Bless big brother and our police state.

Only because they got caught, this time.

[Phoenix61]

2. People really need to understand how this technology works

It only sends info when you make a report. Seems this lawyer would like a little free advertising. People flipped when they realized their location was embedded in the photos they took if they had the location setting turned on.