According to newly released records, the U.S. Marshals Service has used cellphone surveillance tools, sometimes known as Stingrays, on the phones of nearly 6,000 suspects. The Marshals Service accidentally confirmed its use of the devices to USA Today during a Freedom of Information Act request for a copy of the agency’s log of cases in which agents had used stingrays.

Truth In Media has written extensively about Stingrays, or cell-site simulators, and how they are being used to track suspected criminals while largely operating without oversight from local, state, or federal authorities. Exactly how the devices operate and what data they collect and/or save has been unknown because of the vast degree of secrecy surrounding the tools.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation describes the Stingray as “a brand name of an IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) Catcher targeted and sold to law enforcement. A Stingray works by masquerading as a cellphone tower– to which your mobile phone sends signals to every 7 to 15 seconds whether you are on a call or not– and tricks your phone into connecting to it.”

more at Source: Records: U.S. Marshals Used Stingray Surveillance Nearly 6,000 Times