Saturday, September 28, 2013

Is Cellphone Location Data Being Collected By The NSA?



The NSA Doesn't Deny Having Collected Our Phone Location Data -- Philip Bump, The Atlantic

During a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Thursday, Sen. Ron Wyden repeatedly asked NSA chief Keith Alexander: Has the NSA ever collected location information along with the metadata it gathers on phone calls? "Under Section 215," Alexander replied, "NSA is not collecting cell site data." In other words: I don't want to answer that.

When a cell phone connects to a cell tower, that information is stored. Phones often connect to multiple towers in quick sequence or simultaneously, data which is stored with the call and can be used to identify where someone is. Under Section 215 of the Patriot Act, the NSA collects data on a daily basis about phone calls, including duration and the numbers on either end. But has it ever collected that location data?

Read more ....

More News On Reports That The NSA Is Collecting Our Cell Phone Location Data

Official Sidesteps Queries on Cellphone Locations -- ABC News/AP
The NSA Refuses To Deny That It Collected The Location Data Of US Phone Calls -- Alex Wilhelm, Tech Dirt
Is the NSA collecting cell phone location data? -- Adam Serwer, MSNBC
Is The U.S. Collecting Cellphone Location Data? -- NPR
NSA Director Grilled About Collection of Cell Location Data -- Threat Post
Ron Wyden Suggests NSA Has Tracked American Cell Phone Location Data -- Matt Sledge, Huffington Post

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