Secret Phone Surveillance Technology Likely to Be Implemented at 2024 DNC

Devices capable of intercepting phone signals may be deployed during the 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, WIRED has learned, raising critical questions about who authorized their use and for what purpose. The device, known as a mobile site simulator, was identified by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a digital rights advocacy organization, after analyzing wireless signal data collected by WIRED during an August event. towers to intercept communications, indiscriminately collecting sensitive data such as phone metadata, location information, and app traffic from all phones in range. Its use has drawn a lot of criticism from advocates and privacy activists, who argue that the technology could be exploited to surreptitiously monitor protesters and suppress supporters. While credentialed influencers attended exclusive yacht parties and VIP events, thousands of protesters faced heavy law enforcement presence, including officers from the US Capitol Police, Secret Service, Homeland Security Investigations, local sheriff’s offices, and Chicago police. Concerns over potential surveillance prompted WIRED to conduct the first wireless survey to investigate whether cell site simulators have been deployed. The reporter, equipped with two rooted Android phones and Wi-Fi hotspot detection software, used Rayhunter—a tool developed by the EFF to detect data anomalies associated with the device. WIRED reporters monitored signals at protest and event locations throughout Chicago, collecting extensive data during political conventions. Preliminary tests conducted during the DNC did not show conclusive evidence of cell site simulator activity. However, a few months later, EFF technologists reanalyzed the raw data using improved detection methods. According to Cooper Quintin, senior technologist at EFF, the Rayhunter tool stores all interactions between devices and cell towers, allowing for deeper analysis as detection techniques evolve. The IMSI (international mobile subscriber identity) number of the device. According to EFF’s analysis, on August 18 – the day before the official convention began – the device carried by a WIRED reporter on the route of the Democratic delegation’s home hotel from a state in the US Midwest suddenly moved to a new tower. The tower asks for the device’s IMSI and then immediately removes it—an order consistent with the operation of the cell site simulator. He notes that EFF usually observes the same pattern only during simulated and control attacks. “This is not 100 percent indisputable truth, but there is strong evidence that shows the cell site simulator was deployed. We do not know who is responsible – it could be the US government, foreign actors, or other entities. In addition, federal agents – including from Department of Homeland Security-required to secure warrants unless there is an immediate national security threat.However, a 2023 DHS Inspector General report found that the Secret Service and Homeland Security Investigations do not always comply with this requirement.

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