Franken presses Holder on airplane spying

The second Senate Democrat in as many days is pressing Attorney General Eric Holder for more information on a program that scoops up Americans’ cellphone data using technology attached to airplanes. 

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) on Tuesday said he is “concerned” by the government’s use of the devices, called stingrays or “dirt boxes,” that mimic cellular towers in order to trick mobile phones into transmitting their signal to them. 

{mosads}”While I understand that law enforcement agents need to be able to track down and catch dangerous suspects, this should not come at the expense of innocent Americans’ privacy,” he wrote in the letter. 

The Wall Street Journal has reported that the U.S. Marshals Service program started in 2007 and operates planes from at least five airports, from which almost the entire United States can be covered. A cellphone’s general location and identifying information is revealed, 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 technology does not retain information from cellphones not linked to suspects, the Journal reported. 

Franken, who leads the Judiciary Committee subpanel on privacy, sent his letter a day after Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) made a similar request. Both letters touched on many of the same questions. 

Franken wants answers on which agencies are using the program, what legal authority is cited in support of it and what type of suspect is targeted. He also wants to know what type of information is collected, how long it is being retained and what safeguards are in place to protect “innocent Americans’ privacy.”

Franken also focused on questions about the program’s effectiveness. He wants specifics on the number of fugitives detained as a result of the program.