I would have thought such information would have come from some of 'the Snowden files' (hey that has a ring to it) but it came from just some ole run of the mill research. Information that is out there if you just look in the right places. It appears that local governments and police departments are the ones buying this equipment in addition to the Feds. Certainly violating all kinds of laws and Constitutional protections.
At first glance some of these devices look unimpressive, but looks can be deceiving. Some of these things go by the names of Stingray, Gossamer, Triggerfish, Kingfish, Amberjack, Harpoon and Hailstorm (maybe someone can explain the meaning of some of these less obvious names). These devices are all for mobile phone monitoring. All of these devices are from one Florida company 'Harris Corporation'. Its likely there are more companies like this, and the sky is the limit as to their specialties. Who knows what's out there... and as for those names, so much for originality.
Take a look at Big Brother.
In an effort to inform the debate around controversial covert government tactics, Ars has compiled a list of this equipment by scrutinizing publicly available purchasing contracts published on government websites and marketing materials obtained through equipment resellers. Disclosed, in some cases for the first time, are photographs of the Harris spy tools, their cost, names, capabilities, and the agencies known to have purchased them.
Earlier this year, a covert tool called the “Stingray” that can gather data from hundreds of phones over targeted areas attracted international attention. Rights groups alleged that its use could be unlawful. But the same company that exclusively manufacturers the Stingray—Florida-based Harris Corporation—has for years been selling government agencies an entire range of secretive mobile phone surveillance technologies from a catalogue that it conceals from the public on national security grounds.
Meet the machines that steal your phone’s data
Keeping tabs on civilian phones? There's more than one way to skin that cat.
The National Security Agency’s spying tactics are being intensely scrutinized following the recent leaks of secret documents. However, the NSA isn't the only US government agency using controversial surveillance methods.
Monitoring citizens' cell phones without their knowledge is a booming business. From Arizona to California, Florida to Texas, state and federal authorities have been quietly investing millions of dollars acquiring clandestine mobile phone surveillance equipment in the past decade.
Details about the devices are not disclosed on the Harris website, and marketing materials come with a warning that anyone distributing them outside law enforcement agencies or telecom firms could be committing a crime punishable by up to five years in jail.
These little-known cousins of the Stingray cannot only track movements—they can also perform denial-of-service attacks on phones and intercept conversations. Since 2004, Harris has earned more than $40 million from spy technology contracts with city, state, and federal authorities in the US, according to procurement records...