Markey Asks DOJ About Government Targeting of Cellphone Records
Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., fired off a letter to the Justice Department Friday inquiring about a Wall Street Journalreport published that day that said department officials have sought to intercept consumer cellphone data. That account said that the government has…
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used devices on airplanes to resemble cellphone towers and collect people’s cellphone information. “While such data can serve as an important tool for law enforcement to detect and deter criminal or terrorist activity, the sweeping nature of this program and the likely collection of sensitive records belonging to innocent consumers raise a number of important questions about how the Department protects the privacy of Americans, particularly those with no connection to unlawful activities,” Markey told Attorney General Eric Holder in the letter. He asked several questions, such as when the program began operating and about the authorizing court orders, requesting responses by Dec. 8.