Stingray spying: FBI's secret deal with police hides phone dragnet from courts Non-disclosure agreement in Florida reveals chain of secrecy across US Federal authorities maintain ‘totalitarian’ control over local law enforcement Read the document: seeking case dismissals at the request of the FBI Jessica Glenza in Los Angeles and Nicky Woolf in New York Friday 10 April 2015 10.49 EDT Last modified on Friday 10 April 2015 11.54 EDT The FBI is taking extraordinary and potentially unconstitutional measures to keep local and state police forces from exposing the use of so-called “Stingray” surveillance technology across the United States, according to documents obtained separately by the Guardian and the American Civil Liberties Union. Multiple non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) revealed in Florida, New York and Maryland this week show federal authorities effectively binding local law enforcement from disclosing any information – even to judges – about the cellphone dragnet technology, its collection capabilities or its existence. In an arrangement that shocked privacy advocates and local defense attorneys, the secret pact also mandates that police notify the FBI to push for the dismissal of cases if technical specifications of the devices are in danger of being revealed in court.
