UK tribunal rules that police may refuse to say whether they use Stingrays
A British freedom of information tribunal ruled that for national security reasons police in England and Wales may refuse to say whether they are using Stingrays, also known as IMSI-catchers, which are capable of tracking thousands of mobile phones and intercepting their calls, text messages, and other data. In 2016, the Bristol Cable found that police forces had bought hundreds of thousands of these devices disguised in public spending data by the acronym CCDC. Privacy International, which brought the case, decided not to appeal on the basis that it risked setting an adverse precedent. Police forces in the US and Germany are more open about their use of this technology, which PI argues breaches human rights law.
Writer: Bill Goodwin
Publication: Computer Weekly