Markey demands info on cellphone spying

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) on Monday pressed the Justice Department for more information on a program that collects Americans’ cellphone data using airplanes equipped with technology that mimics cellular towers. 

Markey said the program revealed by The Wall Street Journal last week raises important privacy concerns. 

{mosads}”The sweeping nature of this program and the likely collection of sensitive records belonging to innocent consumers raise a number of important questions about how the Department protects the privacy of Americans, particularly those with no connection to unlawful activities,” he wrote in a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder. 

Markey said the information could be an important tool for law enforcement. He added in a statement accompanying the letter, however, that the public is “rightfully disturbed” by the pervasiveness of collection in recent years.   

The Journal reported the U.S. Marshals Service program started in 2007 and operates planes from at least five airports that can cover nearly the entire United States. The small planes are equipped with technology — dubbed ‘”dirt boxes” — that trick cellphones into transmitting their signal to them. 

A cellphone’s general location and identifying information is swept up, according to the report. The program is aimed at locating individuals who are being investigated by the government, but information from the general population is swept up as well. The Journal reported the technology “lets go” of information from cellphones not linked to suspects. 

Markey wants clarification on when the program began, what other agencies use the technology and how many times it is deployed. He also sought information on what authority the government uses to conduct the program and retain the information. He also asked how much information from innocent people is swept up in a typical probe, and whether judges are made fully aware of its scope. 

“Whether in cyberspace or aerospace, the collection of American’s personal information raises significant legal and privacy concerns, particularly for innocent consumers,” he said in the statement.