The government is spying on cell phones [telecom]

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The government has special airplanes designed to spy on peoples' cell phones

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the federal government has a secret, airplane-based surveillance system that is capable of sweeping up information from thousands of cell phones at a time.

While the device is intended to spy on criminal and terrorist suspects, the program also sweeps up private information from many innocent people.

The Justice Department says the program complies with the law and is subject to judicial oversight, but some civil libertarians are skeptical.