FBI operating surveillance aircraft over US, planes traced to fake companies – report

A Cessna 182 aircraft. (Reuters/Noor Khamis)

A Cessna 182 aircraft. (Reuters/Noor Khamis)

The FBI is operating its own air force, sending low-flying planes across the US. The aircraft carry video and cellphone surveillance technology, and are hidden behind bogus companies that are actually fronts for the government, AP has revealed.

According to the news agency, the surveillance tools on board are
typically used without a judge’s approval. The flights are
widespread, spanning across the United States.

READ MORE: FBI gets closer to expanded hacking
powers

In a recent 30-day period, the agency flew more than 100 flights
above more than 30 cities in 11 states, plus the District of
Columbia. Those cities included Houston, Phoenix, Seattle,
Chicago, Boston, and Minneapolis. Aircraft also flew over
southern California.

The FBI says the planes are used for specific, ongoing
investigations.

The findings come after years of reports since 2003 that a
government surveillance program might be behind
suspicious-looking planes slowly circling US neighborhoods.

Flight tracking

The news agency began analyzing flight data following a
Washington Post article in early May, which revealed flights by
two planes circling over Baltimore.

As part of its investigation, AP examined aircraft ownership
registrations that shared similar addresses and flight patterns.
Using data from FlightRadar24.com, the agency found that some FBI
missions circled above at least 40,000 residents during a flight
over Anaheim, California, in late May.

Most of the flight patterns occurred in counter-clockwise orbits
up to several miles wide, and roughly one mile above the ground
at slow speeds.

One of the planes photographed in flight last week in northern
Virginia had unusual antennas under its fuselage and a camera
attached to its left side.

In total, AP has tracked 50 aircraft back to the FBI.

Fears of spying

While Washington maintains that aerial surveillance is important
for certain investigations, the use of such aircraft has sparked
concerns over whether there should be updated regulations
protecting the civil liberties of Americans, as such technology
could potentially facilitate government spying.

It could also have other wide-ranging implications, according to
the report. For instance, the planes could capture video of
unrelated criminal activity on the ground, which could be handed
over for prosecutions.

READ MORE: FBI now says StingRay surveillance can
be disclosed

Some of the aircraft can be equipped with technology that can
identify thousands of people below through the cellphones they
carry – even if they’re not making a call, or they’re tucked away
in their own homes.

Officials told AP that the practice – which mimics cell phone
towers and gets phones to reveal subscriber information – is
rare, but it does indeed exist.

However, AP found FBI flights orbiting over large, enclosed
buildings in recent weeks, for extended periods of time. These
flights took place in areas where aerial photography would be
less effective than electronic signals collection – including
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and the Mall of America
in Bloomington, Minnesota.

But FBI spokesman Christopher Allen said the planes “are not
equipped, designed or used for bulk collection activities or mass
surveillance.”

An unnamed FBI spokesman also said the surveillance flights
comply with agency rules. Those rules, which are heavily redacted
in publicly available documents, limit the types of equipment the
agency can use, as well as the justifications and duration of
surveillance.

‘Not a secret’

Allen also said the FBI’s aviation program “is not secret,” but
that “specific aircraft and their capabilities are protected for
operational security purposes.”

READ MORE: DoJ watchdog barks at FBI’s failure to leash
in surveillance

However, AP managed to trace the aircraft to at least 13 fake
companies – including FVX Research, KQM Aviation, NBR Aviation,
and PXW Services.

According to law enforcement officials, Justice Department
lawyers approved the decision to create fake companies to protect
the flights’ security. They added that the Federal Aviation
Administration is aware of the practice.

The FBI asked AP not to disclose the names of the bogus
companies, claiming it would burden taxpayers with the expense of
creating new cover companies, and could endanger the planes and
the integrity of the surveillance missions. The agency’s request
was denied.

Meanwhile, basic aspects of the aviation program are withheld
from the public in censored versions of official Justice
Department reports.

READ
MORE: Docs show FBI wrongly spied on Keystone XL
protesters

The findings come just one month after a Justice Department memo
barred law enforcement agencies from using unmanned drones
“solely for the purpose of monitoring activities protected by the
First Amendment,” saying they are to be used only in connection
with authorized investigations and activities.

Source Article from http://rt.com/usa/264369-fbi-surveillance-air-force/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

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