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Is Canada Using Stingrays to Spy on Its Own Citizens?
Our complaint has triggered a federal investigation into potential RCMP use of Stingray surveillance devices
Apr 13, 2016
It's no secret that OpenMedia is worried about the use of Stingrays.
Just weeks ago, we launched a new campaign to Stop Stingray Surveillance, and almost 30,000 people have already spoken up against invasive cell phone spying.
The campaign builds on our detailed policy intervention we filed last month with the B.C. Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, as a part of its investigation into the Vancouver Police Department's failure to respond to access to information requests on the potential use of Stingrays.
Well, now we're taking the fight national.
In December, OpenMedia raised concerns about the RCMP's potential use of Stingrays. In March, I filed an official complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC), calling for an investigation. And now, it's happening - OPC has launched a formal investigation into the potential use of Stingray surveillance devices.
Why did we file this complaint?
For some time, Canadians have been calling for answers from the RCMP and other police forces across Canada about the use of these invasive cell phone surveillance devices. Stingrays enable wholesale monitoring of our most intimate moments, and undermine our privacy and security.
We hope this investigation sheds light on the use of these devices, so that Canadians can have an open and transparent debate about whether their use can be justified in a democratic society. After all, police aren't allowed to bug your living room and listen in on your conversations without a warrant. Why should they be allowed to do the same on your phone?
Our cell phones contain some of our most personal moments and details. That's why Stingrays are such dangerous tools -- they can be used to invade the privacy of tens of thousands of Canadians at a time. I'm not saying there's never a time or place for them, but we can't even begin to have that conversation until we know that they're being used, or what those circumstances are.
We think it's time to bring these secretive surveillance tools into the spotlight. We need a public conversation.
Still not sure what a Stingray is, or why should you care?
Stingrays (aka IMSI-catchers) mimic cell phone towers and are designed to collect information from every cell phone in a given area, including geo-location and content data. The devices are also capable of listening in on private phone conversations. People whose data is captured by a Stingray device receive no notification, and have no way of challenging the intrusion on their privacy. A number of police forces in the U.S., including the FBI and NYPD, have admitted to using Stingrays, but to date no Canadian police force has done so.
To learn more, check out our backgrounder: What the heck is a Stingray?
What can you do about it?
ACT NOW! Join the almost 30,000 concerned citizens who have already called for an end to Stingray surveillance at StopStingrays.org, a campaign launched by OpenMedia and over 30 other organizations around the world.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
It's no secret that OpenMedia is worried about the use of Stingrays.
Just weeks ago, we launched a new campaign to Stop Stingray Surveillance, and almost 30,000 people have already spoken up against invasive cell phone spying.
The campaign builds on our detailed policy intervention we filed last month with the B.C. Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, as a part of its investigation into the Vancouver Police Department's failure to respond to access to information requests on the potential use of Stingrays.
Well, now we're taking the fight national.
In December, OpenMedia raised concerns about the RCMP's potential use of Stingrays. In March, I filed an official complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC), calling for an investigation. And now, it's happening - OPC has launched a formal investigation into the potential use of Stingray surveillance devices.
Why did we file this complaint?
For some time, Canadians have been calling for answers from the RCMP and other police forces across Canada about the use of these invasive cell phone surveillance devices. Stingrays enable wholesale monitoring of our most intimate moments, and undermine our privacy and security.
We hope this investigation sheds light on the use of these devices, so that Canadians can have an open and transparent debate about whether their use can be justified in a democratic society. After all, police aren't allowed to bug your living room and listen in on your conversations without a warrant. Why should they be allowed to do the same on your phone?
Our cell phones contain some of our most personal moments and details. That's why Stingrays are such dangerous tools -- they can be used to invade the privacy of tens of thousands of Canadians at a time. I'm not saying there's never a time or place for them, but we can't even begin to have that conversation until we know that they're being used, or what those circumstances are.
We think it's time to bring these secretive surveillance tools into the spotlight. We need a public conversation.
Still not sure what a Stingray is, or why should you care?
Stingrays (aka IMSI-catchers) mimic cell phone towers and are designed to collect information from every cell phone in a given area, including geo-location and content data. The devices are also capable of listening in on private phone conversations. People whose data is captured by a Stingray device receive no notification, and have no way of challenging the intrusion on their privacy. A number of police forces in the U.S., including the FBI and NYPD, have admitted to using Stingrays, but to date no Canadian police force has done so.
To learn more, check out our backgrounder: What the heck is a Stingray?
What can you do about it?
ACT NOW! Join the almost 30,000 concerned citizens who have already called for an end to Stingray surveillance at StopStingrays.org, a campaign launched by OpenMedia and over 30 other organizations around the world.
It's no secret that OpenMedia is worried about the use of Stingrays.
Just weeks ago, we launched a new campaign to Stop Stingray Surveillance, and almost 30,000 people have already spoken up against invasive cell phone spying.
The campaign builds on our detailed policy intervention we filed last month with the B.C. Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, as a part of its investigation into the Vancouver Police Department's failure to respond to access to information requests on the potential use of Stingrays.
Well, now we're taking the fight national.
In December, OpenMedia raised concerns about the RCMP's potential use of Stingrays. In March, I filed an official complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC), calling for an investigation. And now, it's happening - OPC has launched a formal investigation into the potential use of Stingray surveillance devices.
Why did we file this complaint?
For some time, Canadians have been calling for answers from the RCMP and other police forces across Canada about the use of these invasive cell phone surveillance devices. Stingrays enable wholesale monitoring of our most intimate moments, and undermine our privacy and security.
We hope this investigation sheds light on the use of these devices, so that Canadians can have an open and transparent debate about whether their use can be justified in a democratic society. After all, police aren't allowed to bug your living room and listen in on your conversations without a warrant. Why should they be allowed to do the same on your phone?
Our cell phones contain some of our most personal moments and details. That's why Stingrays are such dangerous tools -- they can be used to invade the privacy of tens of thousands of Canadians at a time. I'm not saying there's never a time or place for them, but we can't even begin to have that conversation until we know that they're being used, or what those circumstances are.
We think it's time to bring these secretive surveillance tools into the spotlight. We need a public conversation.
Still not sure what a Stingray is, or why should you care?
Stingrays (aka IMSI-catchers) mimic cell phone towers and are designed to collect information from every cell phone in a given area, including geo-location and content data. The devices are also capable of listening in on private phone conversations. People whose data is captured by a Stingray device receive no notification, and have no way of challenging the intrusion on their privacy. A number of police forces in the U.S., including the FBI and NYPD, have admitted to using Stingrays, but to date no Canadian police force has done so.
To learn more, check out our backgrounder: What the heck is a Stingray?
What can you do about it?
ACT NOW! Join the almost 30,000 concerned citizens who have already called for an end to Stingray surveillance at StopStingrays.org, a campaign launched by OpenMedia and over 30 other organizations around the world.
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