In light of recent ICE/DHS shenanigans in the US

  • umbrella@lemmy.ml
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    12 hours ago

    i know the nsa has that capability but aren’t stingrays still a thing? those are sold to and operated by leo, which is scarier and more relevant for the average joe imo. think situations like patrols, protests, ice raids and stuff.

    • theneverfox@pawb.social
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      10 hours ago

      I mean, yes and no. They just capture device info for a location, which can often be tied back to a person, but they just grab the info the phone sends to the tower. These days with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi you can even do something similar with just your phone

      I don’t love that it exists for obvious reasons, but it’s a far cry from looking through your phone

      I mean, the cell providers already sell your location info to anyone (including LEO, which is unconstitutional without a warrant as far as I’m concerned), as can Google, apple, and all sorts of apps - so this is a niche thing

      FWIW, you can defeat that pretty simply… Just leave your phone behind and/or in a faraday pouch. No signal, no signature, no location data (from your phone at least). It won’t necessarily stop the NSA, but it’ll protect you in a protest where your just another face in the crowd