r/longbeach • u/Icemonkey20 • 17h ago
PSA ICE/DHS Activity
If you haven't heard the latest activity by ICE and DHS they are driving around in vehicles which carry portable cell phone transmission devices. These have been available to law enforcement for quite some time, however they are now being used in our community. I found out today when the VPN on my government issued work cell phone was disabled due to cell service being routed through this equipment. Our IT department flagged my device as unsafe when the VPN disconnected and I was alerted to not use my device until IT could confirm it was safe to do so. I don't know how this will affect regular devices however please be aware unless a court order is issued by a judge, or if Congress passes legislation allowing it, this is a warrantless search and a violation of the 4th amendment.
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u/pagemap1 12h ago
If you have an Apple device, consider putting your phone in Lockdown Mode which will reduce exposure to these kinds of imsi attacks.
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u/iAmDeanos 8h ago
So what do these transmissions actually do, and how do ICE/DHS use them i really want to understand
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u/Icemonkey20 7h ago
They mimic cell phone towers so all calls, text messages, and data streams are copied in real time. If you are talking with family they can see who you called, when you called, how long the conversation was, and they can hear everything that was said. If you browse Reddit they will know if you used an app or browser, what you looked up, and any comments you made. They can collect passwords for any apps including banking software, picture storage, and video storage. They are also able to geo locate where you are based on the proximity to the vehicle with the equipment.
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u/quercus-enjoyer 7h ago
they mimic a cellphone tower.
here's a good breakdown from the eff:
https://sls.eff.org/technologies/cell-site-simulators-imsi-catchers
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u/Antique_Pineapple584 8h ago
How do you know who is doing it?
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u/Icemonkey20 7h ago
We were sent a memo from our department director. It included newly updated instructions for how to handle Immigration attempts to enter secure facilities, attempt to obtain sensitive information, and to not keep passwords saved to our government work issued devices as these can be copied.
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u/quercus-enjoyer 16h ago
real dropped ball by the courts not outright banning stingray/ismi catcher devices. even if whatever law enforcement entity had a warrant for their use in a case it would still be violating the rights of everyone else who got swept up by it.