{"id":25862,"date":"2016-01-27T12:03:53","date_gmt":"2016-01-27T18:03:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=25862"},"modified":"2016-01-27T12:03:53","modified_gmt":"2016-01-27T18:03:53","slug":"proposed-law-aims-to-take-sting-out-of-police-spy-tech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/proposed-law-aims-to-take-sting-out-of-police-spy-tech\/","title":{"rendered":"Proposed law aims to take sting out of police spy-tech"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Thomas Vogel <\/strong><\/p>\n

State lawmakers are working to prevent local law enforcement agencies conducting investigations from violating the privacy of Chicagoans. Any resident using a phone to place a call, send a text message or browse the web may be at risk.<\/p>\n

\u201cStingrays,\u201d refer to a broad category of so-called cell site simulator devices, which, when activated, collect electronic communication from phones by imitating an actual cellular tower. Government agencies throughout the United States, including the Chicago Police Department, use the devices.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to put in basic guardrails,\u201d State Senator Daniel Biss (9th) said. \u201cIf you let the horse out of the barn, it gets difficult to control very quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Crime-fighting agencies defend the controversial devices arguing the technology helps conduct surveillance, develop investigations and track suspects.<\/p>\n

Privacy advocates like the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, however, contend the devices are too intrusive and jeopardize the sensitive information of thousands of people.<\/p>\n

Representative Ann Williams (11th) sponsored the bill <\/a>, which helps prevent abuse by law enforcement and institutes statewide regulations. Biss is spearheading a similar effort in the Senate.
\nIf adopted, the Citizen Privacy Protection Act would require law enforcement agencies to get a warrant and explain to a judge specific details on how the device will be used and what information will be collected. The bill also requires a timeline for destroying any collateral information swept up during investigations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s kind of a blunt instrument,\u201d said Bamshad Mobasher, a professor at DePaul University\u2019s Center for Web Intelligence. \u201cEven if you are after a particular, let\u2019s say perpetrator or a particular person of interest you are actually capturing a lot more information and data, some from people who have nothing to do with that particular subject.\u201d<\/p>\n