Senate questions legality of ‘stingrays’

Two senators are launching an official inquiry into the legality of the FBI and other government agencies’ use of “stingrays,” also known as fake cell towers or IMSI catchers. If you need a refresher on the topic, look here and here at our previous coverage of the topic. If you missed it while you were getting your Yuletide on, right before Christmas, senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) of the Senate Judiciary Committee sent a letter to both Attorney General Eric Holder and Department of Homeland Security’s Jeh Johnson. In the letter they question whether using such deceptive devices are stretching the legal reach of the FBI.

Apparently what ruffled their feathers enough to write a sternly worded letter lies in a recent discussion between the Senate and the FBI. In this discussion it’s been revealed that while the FBI typically has to go the standard route of getting a warrant when there’s an immediate need, they’ve recently upped the ante by giving themselves exception to this rule for “cases in which the technology is used in public places or other locations at which the FBI deems there is no reasonable expectation of privacy.” Yes, this includes public sidewalks and streets. Yikes. The senators have given the departments until Jan. 30 to respond.

Meanwhile, law enforcement organizations across the country are trying incredibly hard to hide their use of these devices. Don’t lose all hope, though. Even if we can’t count on our government to curb their invasion of our privacy, as the saying goes, there’s an app for that. A German software company has created an app for Google’s Android platform called SnoopSnitch that helps detect whether fake cell towers are running near you. The app is still in the early stages, though. Only rooted Android devices with Qualcomm chipsets collect the type of information the app uses to detect the stingrays. Still, it’s nice to know help is on the way.

Centerline acquires Cascadia

Centerline Solutions, one of the larger U.S. cell tower services companies, announced the acquisition of Cascadia PM, a Washington-based tower and wireless services company. This strategic move not only increases Centerline’s presence in an area of the country where they were not prominent, but also allows them to learn from and take on the goodwill associated with Cascadia’s teams and program management.

“We are excited to offer that expertise to our customers nationwide, as well as grow our footprint in Washington, Oregon, Hawaii and Alaska. Together, we will offer the wireless industry more precise scheduling and better quality control,” said Benjamin Little, CEO of Centerline Solutions.

1,500-foot tower climb

So this may be a television tower and not a cell tower, but it’s just too amazing not to mention. Watch tower climber Kevin Schmidt change a lightbulb atop a 1,500-foot tower in South Dakota: