Why Is the IRS Spying on Americans’ Phone Calls?

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Why Is the IRS Spying on Americans’ Phone Calls?

October 28th, 2015

Awake Goy

Washington D.C. — Following the first ever congressional hearing on
“Stingray” cellphone surveillance, new details reveal the Secret Service
and the Internal Revenue Service are also using the controversial
spying devices. ~ Derrick Brose

At a congressional hearing last Wednesday,
officials with the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland
Security released new details about the federal government’s use of
“Stingray” cellphone surveillance.

Stingrays, also known as cell site
simulators, constitute another example of military tools finding their
way into the hands of federal agencies and local police departments
across the United States.

According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation:

“The
Stingray is a brand name of an IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber
Identity) Catcher targeted and sold to law enforcement.

“A Stingray works
by masquerading as a cellphone tower – to which your mobile phone sends
signals to every 7 to 15 seconds whether you are on a call or not – and
tricks your phone into connecting to it.

“As a result, the government
can figure out who, when and to where you are calling, the precise
location of every device within the range, and with some devices, even
capture the content of your conversations.”

Elana Tyrangiel, a
deputy assistant attorney at the Justice Department, told lawmakers the
particular cell site simulators employed by the DOJ do not collect the
content of calls. The devices do, however, collect location and the
number being dialed.

Much of the discussion at the hearing centered around the use of warrants. In early September, the Justice Department announced rules
about how the department will handle the use of Stingrays, including
new warrant requirements.

After the rules were announced, Senator
Patrick Leahy, the ranking member on the Senate’s Judiciary Committee, challenged the warrant exemptions and the overall effectiveness of the rules. According to the District Sentinel, Leahy stated, “I will press the Department to justify them.”

As
of last week, the Department of Homeland Security is now following
similar rules. Officials warned Congress the devices would be used
without obtaining warrants in “time-sensitive, emergency situations.”

California Congressman Ted Lieu, a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, told CNN he believes “The mass surveillance of peoples’ [sic] cell phone signals requires a warrant.”

The AP reports
that during the hearing, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Seth M.
Stodder revealed a new policy that allows the Secret Service to use cell
site simulators without a warrant if they believe there is a “nonspecific threat to the president or another protected person.”

Stodder stated that under “exceptional circumstances,” exceptions would be made and use of the device would only require approval from “executive-level personnel”
at Secret Service headquarters and the U.S. attorney for the relevant
jurisdiction.

Despite the exemption, Stodder said the Secret Service
would not use the devices in routine criminal investigations.

Just
days after the congressional hearing, The Guardian has revealed the
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is also making use of the Stingray
devices. The Guardian reports:

“Invoices
obtained following a request under the Freedom of Information Act show
purchases made in 2009 and 2012 by the federal tax agency with Harris
Corporation, one of a number of companies that manufacture the devices.

“Privacy advocates said the revelation “shows the wide proliferation of
this very invasive surveillance technology.

The 2009
IRS/Harris Corp invoice is mostly redacted under section B(4) of the
Freedom of Information Act, which is intended to protect trade secrets
and privileged information.

“However, an invoice from 2012, which is also
partially redacted, reports that the agency spent $65,652 on upgrading a
Stingray II to a HailStorm, a more powerful version of the same device,
as well as $6,000 on training from Harris Corporation.”

The
HailStorm is an upgraded version of the Stingray, which is capable of
gathering the actual contents of conversations and images in addition to
gathering location and numbers dialed.

The history of the use of
Stingrays is filled with secrecy, lies, and redacted documents. The FBI,
the Harris Corporation, and local police departments continue to hide
the details of how exactly the devices are being used.

Should we trust
government officials when they tell us they will get a warrant unless “exceptional circumstances” arise? Who defines what exactly “exceptional”
means anyway?

It would be wise for all those who value privacy and
freedom to begin challenging the official narrative and investing in
technologies that can counter the State’s surveillance.

We should
also take a moment to acknowledge all the activists and journalists who
have been working to expose this issue for the last several years. As
Christopher Soghoian, an ACLU technologist, pointed out,

“This is the
first ever congressional hearing on Stingrays. This is a device the FBI
started using in 1995. It shouldn’t take 20 years to get a hearing on a
surveillance technology.”

It is through the work of the
awakened masses that the collective springs into action. Without YOU
spreading information through the internet and in the streets, this
important topic would not have become part of the national dialogue.

However, we must not rest. There is much work to do. For a more in-depth
look at the use of Stingrays, please read this investigation.

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