Rauner signs surveillance reform bill
Monday, Jul 25, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Progress Illinois…
Gov. Bruce Rauner signed legislation Friday requiring police forces in Illinois to get a court order before using surveillance equipment to covertly scan people’s cellphone data.
The equipment in question, often called “Stingray,” acts like a cellphone tower and is typically attached to police surveillance vehicles. It can collect data secretively from nearby cellular devices.
Under the new measure, police are prohibited from keeping data captured by the equipment if it comes from an individual not under investigation.
Also, the technology cannot be used “to block phone calls, drain a phone battery or intercept the content of phone calls, web browsing and text messages by police,” according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Illinois.
The bill passed both chambers without a single “No” vote.
- Chicago_Downstater - Monday, Jul 25, 16 @ 1:10 pm:
That’s some Person of Interest level stuff right there.
Does anyone know how they were trying to justify it legally?
- Honeybear - Monday, Jul 25, 16 @ 1:25 pm:
Okay now I’m totally freaked out. I didn’t know the police had such technology. I assumed NSA had it but not the police.
- MSIX - Monday, Jul 25, 16 @ 1:31 pm:
Good, common sense legislation.
- Mama - Monday, Jul 25, 16 @ 1:34 pm:
With thousands of people driving on the Interstate at any one time, how does this machine select which cell phone it wants to hack?
- Precinct Captain - Monday, Jul 25, 16 @ 1:39 pm:
There should be regular audits to make sure police aren’t keeping data they shouldn’t from these devices.
- Out Here In The Middle - Monday, Jul 25, 16 @ 1:48 pm:
Mama — it does not select any one phone. They sweep up all of the data and then examine it see if they got what they want. That’s why it’s such a violation of privacy. If you are in the area of a “person of interest” they collect your data as well.
- RNUG - Monday, Jul 25, 16 @ 1:55 pm:
-Honeybear-
Take a deep breath and chill. It’s been out there for many years. It’s common knowledge in the computer privacy and security communities. Illinois is just catching up to some other states and starting to rein in some of the civil liberty abuses of such technology.
- Springfield Since '77 - Monday, Jul 25, 16 @ 2:35 pm:
Now, how about some real penalty for when (not if) they ignore these conditions… besides, “…don’t get caught doing this anymore…”
- Payback - Monday, Jul 25, 16 @ 2:39 pm:
Great work by Senator Biss! He got rooked on his drone bill where the police unions put in exceptions for “emergency” situations. As defined by police of course. Cops love “officer discretion” and plenty of legislators love to give them whatever they want.
“(d) A court order issued under this Section may be sealed upon a showing of need, but for no more than 180 days, with any extensions to be granted upon a certification that an investigation remains active or a showing of exceptional
circumstances.” There is your “exceptional circumstances.”
“Section 20. Admissibility. If the court finds by a preponderance of the evidence that a law enforcement agency used a cell site simulator to gather information in violation of the limits in Sections 10 and 15 of this Act, then the
information shall be presumed to be inadmissible in any judicial or administrative proceeding.” Excellent! Take away the incentive for police to abuse the process by making it inadmissible in court. This bill is a great example of how government can work for the people instead of against them.
- FormerParatrooper - Monday, Jul 25, 16 @ 6:33 pm:
Who is tasked to police the police to verify they are following the law?