[telecom] Judge Questions Tools That Grab Cellphone Data on Innocent People

Judge Questions Tools That Grab Cellphone Data on Innocent People

By Jennifer Valentino-DeVries October 22, 2012

A judge in Texas is raising questions about whether investigators are giving courts enough details on technological tools that let them get data on all the cellphones in an area, including those of innocent people.

In two cases, Magistrate Judge Brian Owsley rejected federal requests to allow the warrantless use of "stingrays" and "cell tower dumps," two different tools that are used for cellphone tracking. The judge said the government should apply for warrants in the cases, but the attorneys had instead applied for lesser court orders.

Among the judge's biggest concerns: that the agents and U.S. attorneys making the requests didn't provide details on how the tools worked or would be used - and even seemed to have trouble explaining the technology.

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