Close X
Thursday, November 28, 2024
ADVT 
National

Vancouver Cops Mum On Use Of Covert Cell Phone Surveillance Technology

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 12 Nov, 2015 01:29 PM
    Vancouver police are refusing to disclose whether they use, or have ever considered using, a controversial mass-surveillance device widely adopted in the United States and vigorously condemned by civil liberty groups.
     
    Earlier this year the Vancouver department rebuffed a freedom-of-information request asking for any records about a technology known as Stingray. The department claimed that divulging documents on the topic could compromise the effectiveness of the force's investigative techniques.
     
    Pivot Legal Society, the Vancouver-based advocacy organization that submitted the original access request, has since filed an appeal with the province's information and privacy commissioner.
     
    Stingray is a device that imitates cellular communications towers in order to trick mobile devices within range to connect to it instead. The cell-site simulator is then able to intercept both text and audio communication, as well as extract internal data from connected devices and even pinpoint their precise locations.
     
    "It's about police being able to gather information outside of the context of the court system," said Doug King, the Pivot lawyer who filed the information request. "It's an incredibly frightening proposition."
     
    The American Civil Liberties Union has identified 57 agencies in 22 states that own Stingray devices, though the group said that number likely underrepresents the actual total given how many agencies purchase the technology secretly. Known groups include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Security Agency and the Internal Revenue Service.
     
    King said he was especially troubled by American media reports about Harris allegedly requiring customers to sign non-disclosure agreements in order to purchase Stingray technology, pledging not to divulge any information about the device or even any interactions with the company.
     
    "I think by saying the mere acknowledgment of its existence puts it at jeopardy is kind of a confirmation of exactly the concern we have about it: that this can only be effective if nobody has any idea they're being watched by the police," he said.
     
    There have been no confirmed reports of the technology's use in Canada so far.
     
     
    "If they're ever allowed to be used (here) then it's a no-brainer there needs to be judicial oversight," said King.
     
    Canadians should be concerned about proper accountability measures being put in place, he added, especially given revelations over the past few years about the extent and intrusiveness of government surveillance.
     
    In its response to Pivot, the Vancouver police would neither confirm nor deny having any information related to the mass-surveillance device, including whether it had ever been in contact with the Florida-based manufacturer Harris Corp.
     
    "In some ways that response peaks our interest even more," said King. "If they hadn't at all you assume they would have just said, 'No documents exist.'"
     
    Stingrays also function as catch-all devices, intercepting not just a single signal but rather surveilling indiscriminately anyone within a particular radius.
     
    "The whole reason that we need oversight is because police are normal human beings," King explained.
     
    "They make mistakes and they do inappropriate things just like everybody else does. Somebody needs to be there to catch them and to stop them when that happens."
     
    David Christopher, a spokesman for the civil-liberty organization Open Media, said the issue of Stingrays isn't restricted to Vancouver.
     
    "This really does, presumably, affect police forces right across Canada, and also security agencies like the Canadian Security Intelligence Service," he said.
     
    "In a sense, this is a real litmus test for the new (federal) government," he added. "Will they lift the lid on what's been going on here?"

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Alberta Families Who Make Less Than $41,000 To Get Child Benefit, Tax Credit

    Alberta Families Who Make Less Than $41,000 To Get Child Benefit, Tax Credit
    The maximum annual benefit is $1,100 for families with one child, and up to $2,750 for families with four or more children.

    Alberta Families Who Make Less Than $41,000 To Get Child Benefit, Tax Credit

    The Liberals Say The Return Of The Long-form Census Will Save Money. Will It?

    The Liberals Say The Return Of The Long-form Census Will Save Money. Will It?
    The Trudeau Liberals, in one of their first acts in government, brought back the long-form census.

    The Liberals Say The Return Of The Long-form Census Will Save Money. Will It?

    Film And TV Jobs In Nova Scotia In Rapid Decline Since Elimination Of Film Tax Credit: NDP

    Film And TV Jobs In Nova Scotia In Rapid Decline Since Elimination Of Film Tax Credit: NDP
    The number of film and TV jobs in Nova Scotia has plunged since the provincial government eliminated a key film tax credit in the spring, the opposition New Democrats said Tuesday.

    Film And TV Jobs In Nova Scotia In Rapid Decline Since Elimination Of Film Tax Credit: NDP

    Minnesota Transportation Commissioner Acquires Canadian Consulate General Residence For $1.65M

    Minnesota Transportation Commissioner Acquires Canadian Consulate General Residence For $1.65M
    Charlie Zelle confirmed Wednesday he purchased a five-bedroom, five bathroom Minneapolis lakeshore home that has been the Canadian consulate general official residence.

    Minnesota Transportation Commissioner Acquires Canadian Consulate General Residence For $1.65M

    Canada, Denmark Should Turn Hans Island Into A Condominium: Academics

    Canada, Denmark Should Turn Hans Island Into A Condominium: Academics
    Arctic experts from Canada and Denmark are proposing a novel solution to who controls an ice-bound speck of an island midway between the two countries.

    Canada, Denmark Should Turn Hans Island Into A Condominium: Academics

    Queen Elizabeth Grants Audience To Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

    Queen Elizabeth Grants Audience To Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
    The prime minister says he's looking forward to meeting and speaking with the Queen on his way to Malta near the end of the month.

    Queen Elizabeth Grants Audience To Prime Minister Justin Trudeau