FBI NDAs Routinely Force Cops to Hide Use of Cell Site Simulators
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Documents obtained by the ACLU show that police departments will routinely agree, if necessary, to drop charges against suspects who've been accused of violent crimes if doing so forces them to reveal access to portable devices known as cell-site simulators, otherwise known by the generic trademark “Stingray” after an early model developed by L3Harris Technologies.
The FBI requires nondisclosure agreements to be signed before agreeing to aid police in tracking suspects using the devices. Stipulations in the contracts include withholding information about the devices, their functionality, and deployment from defendants and their lawyers if the cases prove justifiable.
Legal experts at the ACLU, Laura Moraff and Nathan Wessler, say the secrecy requirements interfere with the ability of defendants to challenge…
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