Can the police locate suspects by scanning through all the phone
numbers that pass through a certain area? Sure, but they'll need a
warrant first.That's according to a federal appeals court, which ruled Thursday
that police must get permission from a judge to use "Stingray" devices,
also called cell-site simulators, as part of their investigations. The
simulators act like a cell tower, picking up the telltale identifiers
that cellphones automatically broadcast when they pass near towers.
Police can use that information to track the movements of criminal
suspects. (One popular model is the StingRay, manufactured by Harris
Corp., hence the nick name.)But the devices have been
controversial, and privacy advocates have fought to require a warrant
before police can use them. Two appellate judges from the DC Circuit US
Court of Appeals agreed, saying Thursday that the use of cell-site
simulators is a police search and subject to the Fourth Amendment of the
US Constitution. The third judge on the panel dissented.