Planes operated by the US government are being used to collect phone data

A report released by the Wall Street Journal accuses the U.S. government of flying planes over towns and cities for the purpose of gathering data from mobile phones. 

The device collecting this information, referred to as a “dirtbox,” mimics mobile phone tower transmissions which, in turn, activates the handsets to begin transmitting back location and identity data.

The report states that while the dirtbox is used to track specific suspects, all mobile devices in the area will respond to its signal. 

All of the information being reported by the WSJ comes from “sources familiar with the program” who said Cessna aircraft outfitted with dirtboxes were flying from at least five U.S. airports.

“If a suspect is believed to have a cellphone from Verizon Communications Inc., for example, the device would emit a signal fooling Verizon phones and those roaming on Verizon’s network into thinking the plane is the nearest available Verizon cell tower,” the Journal wrote. “Phones that are turned on, even if not in use, would ‘ping’ the flying device and send their registration information. In a densely populated area, the dirtbox could pick up data of tens of thousands of cellphones.” 

When asked to comment on the report, the U.S. Department of Justice would neither confirm nor deny the accusations. It did state, though, that it operates within federal law.

In the U.S., the program is run by the country’s Marshals Service. To date, it has been used to apprehend a number of unnamed drug lords and killers.

In regards to the actual technology being used here, a dirtbox mimics the signals transmitted by wireless carriers; this tricks handsets into thinking they’re latching on to a secure connection. When they do, the device sends out its individual registration information and location via the signal. 

The plane / dirtbox combination can be used to determine a suspect’s location to within 10 feet, and pinpoint his / her whereabouts to a specific room in a building. It can also be used to retrieve personal data like photos and messages, and jam signals.

While dirtboxes are designed to track an individual or two, when in operation they will collect data from all phones within the area under surveillance. 

Dirtboxes fall under a category of technology known as an International Mobile Subscriber Identity Catcher because they collects the unique identification data sent by each individual device to its network. 

They are considered user friendly and several versions of the device exist online for purchase.

Via WSJ.com