The Internal Revenue Service previously purchased "Stingray" devices capable of spying on cellphones, according to heavily redacted invoices obtained by the Guardian through a Freedom of Information Act request.
One invoice from 2012 shows the tax agency paid defense contractor Harris Corporation $65,652 to upgrade a Stingray to a more powerful device, and spent an additional $6,000 on training. The agency made other purchases, but most of the details are redacted. It's also not clear why the IRS would need such a device.
Stingrays and similar devices are known as IMSI-catchers or "cell-site simulators" and are about the size of a briefcase. The devices pretend to be cellphone towers and force phones in a geographic location to connect to them. Once a cellphone is connected, the Stingray can track a target's location and reveal information about the owner, and some models can even eavesdrop on conversations, text messages and Web browsing activity, according to Extreme Tech.
Besides the IRS, at least 12 other federal agencies are known to have used the device, including the National Security Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, along with at least 56 state or local police in 22 states and the District of Columbia, according to RT.
Privacy advocates warn that the dragnet approach to collecting information will almost always result in spying on innocent bystanders, and the relatively little oversight or transparency only bolsters their argument.
While it's not clear how the IRS uses the devices, Mark Matthews, former deputy commissioner for services at the agency, noted that there are between 2,000 and 3,000 "special agents" in the IRS who work for the criminal investigation division and could be using the devices to investigate money laundering or terrorist funding.
In September, the Justice Department issued a new policy for the cell-site simulators requiring a search warrant before the device can be deployed, and last week, the Department of Homeland Security said it will do the same, reported Verge.
