As per the reports of the Wall Street Journal, a secret U.S spy Program utilized false cell phone towers to collect data of thousands of Americans.
The spying program controls these aircraft from five metropolitan-area airports which cover almost the entire U.S population. However, the exact time duration and frequency of the program is kept in the dark. Nevertheless, it is confirmed that they happen on a regular basis.
The Justice Department is using Cessna aircraft prepared with fake towers for this particular purpose. The chief aim of this investigation is to catch the criminals. The agency uses a special device “dirt box” to transmit false powerful cell tower signals. Afterwards, the air boxes deceive cell phones through their strong signals. The cell phones immediately switch over to the fake signals in order to provide better coverage to the users. Later on, the fake signals instantly scoop data from thousands of cell phones in less than one min.
Nevertheless, the fake cell phone towers can even get the data of encryption phones such as the iPhone 6. It signifies that each and every phone is currently under the surveillance of the U.S department.
On the other hand, the spokesman for Justice Department refused to make any comment specifically on this matter. The authority merely stated that the official verification or denial of this program will make things easier for criminals. A public statement regarding this matter would permit criminals to judge the surveillance capabilities of the U.S departments.
Moreover, the officials informed that Justice Department obeys all the federal laws for every action.