Protect Your Privacy with RayHunter #shorts
The short version: A short from STS Technologies LLC spotlights EFF's open-source RayHunter tool for sniffing out IMSI catchers, a reminder that cell-site surveillance and ALPR networks are two sides of the same coin.
Our Take
Credit to STS Technologies LLC for putting a spotlight on RayHunter, the EFF's open-source project for detecting IMSI catchers and Stingray-style cell-site simulators. These devices impersonate cell towers to vacuum up phone identifiers and location data, often without a warrant, and most people have no idea when one is nearby. Tools that make that invisible surveillance visible deserve attention.
Worth noting: RayHunter is free and open-source, released by the EFF specifically so anyone with the right hardware can run it themselves. A company selling a 'professionally installed' version isn't doing anything wrong, but readers should know the underlying software isn't proprietary, and it's worth doing your own homework before paying for convenience.
Cell-site simulators and license plate readers are two tentacles of the same surveillance octopus: both were sold to the public as narrow tools for serious crimes, both have quietly expanded into dragnet tracking of ordinary people's movements and communications. If you care about one, you should care about the other. Check our camera map to see what's watching you locally, and hit take action for ways to push back on both fronts.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of STS Technologies LLC, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.