The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the latest federal agency known to use electronic cellphone surveillance equipment, according to a new report.
Invoices obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by The Guardian show that the IRS purchased cellphone tracking technology in 2009 and 2012. The equipment, manufactured by Harris Corporation and known as a Stingray, mimics a cell tower and can collect metadata about a call and sometimes even content from calls connected through them.
“The info showing that they are using Stingrays is generally consistent with the kinds of investigative tactics that they are engaging in, and it shows the wide proliferation of this very invasive surveillance technology,” Nate Wessler, a staff attorney with the speech, privacy and technology project at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) told The Guardian.
“It’s used by dozens, perhaps hundreds, of local law enforcement, used by the usual suspects at the federal level, and if the IRS is using it, it shows just how far these devices have spread,” Wessler said.
The newspaper pointed out that agencies have been able to get away with using these devices without a court order; a lower-level order called a PEN register, also known as a “trap and trace,” is enough.