Police rip data from phones at routine stops
Michigan police have a new device that can rip all data from a cellphone during a routine traffic stop.
With
the machine, called a CelleBrite, officers will potentially be able to
tell if a driver has been using his or her phone while on the road. The
device can get all photos and videos off an iPhone in 1.5 minutes, The
Newspaper journal reported. Don't think you're safe if you've got a
password protected phone either - the CelleBrite can defeat the
encryption.
The American Civil Liberties Union
(ACLU) is up in arms about the new technology. They asked state police
for information on how the device is being used, but police responded
that the data would cost the ACLU $544,680.
"Law
enforcement officers are known, on occasion, to encourage citizens to
cooperate if they have nothing to hide," ACLU staff attorney Mark P.
Fancher wrote. "No less should be expected of law enforcement, and the
Michigan State Police should be willing to assuage concerns that these
powerful extraction devices are being used illegally by honoring our
requests for cooperation and disclosure."
