The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit against the City of Anaheim’s Police Department, as well as the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, over their use of a controversial surveillance device known as StingRay.
The powerful surveillance tool allows law enforcement personnel to track the mobile devices and movements of criminals by simulating a cellphone tower. In the process, however, it also gleans information pertaining to innocent bystanders in the area. That poses major privacy concerns, the ACLU says.
Furthermore, the civil liberties group claims the departments failed to provide documents outlining the use of these surveillance devices, which is the purpose of the suit. Attorneys for the ACLU made the request last year under the California Public Records Act.
“StingRays are capable of invading the privacy of innocent Americans, so the public must be able to monitor how law enforcement agencies use them,” said Peter Bibring, director of police practices for the ACLU of California. “The police cannot adopt a new, invasive surveillance technology without any kind of public oversight or accountability.”
The devices are currently being used by at least 40 federal and local agencies. Last month, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approved a plan to purchase the system, but said law enforcement’s utilization of the devices would be prohibited until a proper usage policy is put into place. The San Diego Police Department, meanwhile, is facing a similar suit from the California First Amendment Coalition.
Read more about the lawsuits here.