UK(S) police using covert tech to surveil cell phones?

[aGameOfThrones]

The article says that the London Metropolitan Police Service bought the technology, which acts like a fake cell tower, from a U.K.-based company called Datong plc. The suitcase-sized receiver reportedly tricks cell phones into thinking they are communicating on a regular cellular network, and this allows authorities to intercept text messages, data, and phone calls. Authorities can also track users within range of the fake cell phone network, the report says. It can also shut off cell phone service, a function designed so that authorities can disable a cell phone, which could be used to detonate a bomb.

The receiver is portable and can either be set up in a fixed location to pick up data in a particular area or it can be set up in a car and used to track individuals on the go.

Datong sells its technology to more than 40 governments around the world, including some in Eastern Europe, South America, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, The Guardian reports.

The article also states that between 2004 and 2009, Datong won more than $1.6 in contracts with U.S. government agencies, including the Secret Service, Special Operations Command, and the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-20128081-266/uk-police-using-covert-tech-to-surveil-cell-phones/?tag=cnetRiver