Protect Your Privacy with RayHunter #shorts

Our Take

Credit where it's due: this short from STS Technologies LLC does a solid job introducing Rayhunter, the EFF's open-source detector for IMSI catchers — those 'stingray' devices that mimic cell towers to vacuum up phone data from everyone nearby, not just a suspect. It's a reminder that ALPRs are just one piece of a much bigger dragnet. Flock cameras log where your car goes; stingrays can log who you're calling and where your phone goes. Different tech, same appetite for bulk collection without a warrant.

What we like about Rayhunter is the EFF's approach: open-source, inspectable, and built for regular people to check whether they're being surveilled, not just agencies deciding to surveil. That's the opposite of how Flock and most ALPR vendors operate — closed systems, opaque retention policies, and little public accountability. If more surveillance detection tools worked like this, the public would actually have a fighting chance to see what's being collected on them.

We're glad to see awareness tools like this get traction, because the fight against mass surveillance needs people paying attention on every front — cell towers, cameras, and everything in between. If you want to see what's already watching your block, check the map, and if you're ready to push back on unchecked ALPR deployment in your town, our take-action page has next steps.