U.S. Planes Spy On American Cell Phones

Americans’ Cellphones Targeted in Secret U.S. Spy Program -- Wall Street Journal

Devices on Planes that Mimic Cellphone Towers Used to Target Criminals, but Also Sift Through Thousands of Other Phones

WASHINGTON—The Justice Department is scooping up data from thousands of mobile phones through devices deployed on airplanes that mimic cellphone towers, a high-tech hunt for criminal suspects that is snagging a large number of innocent Americans, according to people familiar with the operations.

The U.S. Marshals Service program, which became fully functional around 2007, operates Cessna aircraft from at least five metropolitan-area airports, with a flying range covering most of the U.S. population, according to people familiar with the program.

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More News On U.S. Planes Spying On American Cell Phones

U.S. planes spy on American phones: report -- CNN
US government planes mimic cellphone towers to collect user data – report -- The Guardian
US spies on mobile phones from the sky -- AFP
US Spy Program Monitors American Mobiles From the Sky: Wall Street Journal -- Sputnik
The government has special airplanes designed to spy on peoples' cell phones -- VOX
The Justice Department Has Been Spying on Your Phone From Airborne Cessnas -- Popular Mechanics
U.S. Marshals are spying on cell phone users with flying fake towers -- Geek

Update: U.S. Defends Marshals in Wake of Secret Cellphone Spying Report -- WSJ