WASHINGTON, DC — Reports about agents using a Stingray on protesters to unconstitutionally monitor their phones are circulating widely, and now protesters have a way to fight back.
Earlier this week an anonymous leaked recording exposed the agents monitoring the protesters’ movements by tracking their phones. A Stingray mimics a cellular tower, letting agents pry into citizens’ cell phones and gather their data/location without a warrant.
Stingrays were supposed to be used for “terrorists,” but now they’re being used against us locally — which is unconstitutional.
And that’s where a new product called Tunnel enters the scene.
We’ve known that the NSA spies on us ever since Edward Snowden blew the whistle on them.
NSA building in Utah.
But have you ever wondered if it’s possible for somebody to spy back on them?
The NSA has a special way of protecting itself against such a possibility. And you’ve probably never heard of it.
To hide its own privacy, the NSA installs copper – yes, you read that correctly: copper – around the equipment in its buildings.
It turns out that copper has a unique conductive property that allows it to block surveillance, letting those who use it hide their activities from would-be spies.
The main NSA headquarters is described as ”a building covered with one-way dark glass, which is lined with copper shielding in order to prevent espionage by trapping in signals and sounds.”
The question becomes: if they can protect their own privacy with copper, why can’t we use this same technique to protect our privacy from them?
Well now we finally can.
Tunnel is a portable Faraday enclosure that uses a 100% authentic copper shielding system to surround your phone. When your phone is inside, it forms a topologically near-complete surface to prevent non-ionizing radiation from penetrating its boundaries, letting you avoid surveillance.
Thankfully, it’s not going to cost thousands of dollars, which has come as great news for protesters and other privacy advocates.
Image via TunnelCase.com
The leak reportedly contained a raw audio recording of a federal agent assuring a police officer that he was “keeping an eye on it,” referring to a girl who was on her phone during the protests.
The audio was leaked just days after multiple protesters independently confirmed that a state vehicle equipped with a Stingray was following them and gathering information from their smartphones.
“Law enforcement is using this information to investigate and prosecute people without warrants – that is unconstitutional. At the national level, the same thing is happening.” said Kirk Weibe, a former NSA employee, speaking out against the use of Stringrays.
Citizens can start to protect themselves from unlawful forms of surveillance by Tunneling their phones.
It can work with all the popular smartphones and blocks the entire range of MHz needed for surveillance.
Disclaimer: we do not condone the use of Tunnel for illegal activities, of course, but it’s perfect for blocking systems of surveillance that attempt to peer into your smartphone and track your location unlawfully.
Image via TunnelCase.com
You’ve gotta love it. The same kind of metal used by a government to protect their own data, now installed in a flexible phone case and able to be used by citizens.
When you put your phone in, it blocks all signals, so nobody can trace you. That means you also won’t receive calls, but as soon as you take it out, all of the normal functionality comes back and you can retrieve the messages that were left for you.
So the idea is to put your phone in it at strategic times. Of course another option is to just not take your phone to a protest, or to just not own a phone at all. But then you lose the option of filming misconduct and sending Tweets.
The best bet is to use the phone as necessary and when it’s not in use, shield it.
A search online will show you all kinds of products capable of blocking surveillance, but it looks like this is the only one that uses real copper.
You can see www.TunnelCase.com for more info.
Image via TunnelCase.com
UPDATE (12/12/14): Filming Cops has a coupon code. When you visit Tunnel be sure to use the following coupon code when you check out: FC
Entering FC at checkout will save you an additional 35% off the already discounted price — but only for the first 100 purchases.
Listen to the leaked recording below:
Edit for technical note: we earlier stated “jamming.” This device does not “jam” in the sense that it actively interferes with cellular communication. The more correct term is that it blocks incoming attempts to track you.
