from Hacker News

A Police Gadget Tracks Phones? Shhh It’s Secret

by mattee on 3/16/15, 7:38 PM with 9 comments

• by dak1 on 3/16/15, 11:29 PM

  > A few days later, the county asked Harris for a demonstration open to county supervisors. The company refused, Mr. Simitian said, noting that “only people with badges” would be permitted. Further, he said, the company declined to provide a copy of the nondisclosure agreement — at least until after the demonstration.

  > At the meeting in Santa Clara County last month, the county supervisors voted 4 to 1 to authorize the purchase

  How on Earth are our elected officials agreeing to such insane requirements? Our Democracy requires transparency to work, and that especially includes allowing oversight by our Legislative members and allowing them to communicate that oversight to their constituents.

• by logn on 3/16/15, 11:54 PM

  > “Disclosure of even minor details” could harm law enforcement, he said, by letting “adversaries” put together the pieces of the technology like assembling a “jigsaw puzzle.”

  Then I think this is tied into a much bigger and well-organized system of surveillance. Everyone already pretty much gets they bug cell phones; what's left to piece together? Parallel reconstruction seems crucial enough to our government it's probably semi-automated and I'd wager StingRays are a core component of that.

• by herbig on 3/16/15, 10:48 PM

  Security through obscurity is not security. Anyone with any knowledge of technology should be weary of this but they'll make millions anyway.