this post was submitted on 18 Oct 2025
574 points (99.3% liked)

Technology

76558 readers
2768 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.

Our Rules

  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related news or articles.
  3. Be excellent to each other!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, this includes using AI responses and summaries. To ask if your bot can be added please contact a mod.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
  10. Accounts 7 days and younger will have their posts automatically removed.

Approved Bots

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
L3s@lemmy.world
enu@lemmy.world
technopagan@lemmy.world
L4s@lemmy.world
L3s@hackingne.ws
L4s@hackingne.ws
574
Software by the Electronic Frontier Foundation that, when linked up with the correct hardware, becomes a Stingray for detecting Stingrays. (github.com)
submitted 2 weeks ago by MTZ@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world
63 comments fedilink hide all child comments
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] SnoringEarthworm@sh.itjust.works 149 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

In case you, like me, were wondering wtf stingrays are (besides a type of fish). This is from their report :

Cell-site simulators, also known as "Stingrays" or IMSI catchers, are devices that masquerade as legitimate cell-phone towers, tricking phones within a certain radius into connecting to the device rather than a tower. 

Cell-site simulators operate by conducting a general search of all cell phones within the device’s radius, in violation of basic constitutional protections. Law enforcement use cell-site simulators to pinpoint the location of phones with greater accuracy than phone companies. Cell-site simulators can also log IMSI numbers (unique identifying numbers) of all of the mobile devices within a given area.

...

The fact that government agencies are using these devices without the utmost consideration for the privacy and rights of individuals around them is alarming but not surprising. The federal government, and in particular agencies like HSI and ICE, have a dubious and troubling relationship with overbroad collection of private data on individuals.

[–] wetling@lemmy.world 30 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

When someone finds one of these simulators, what would they do?

[–] dhork@lemmy.world 59 points 2 weeks ago

Based on this link, the proper thing to do should be to report it to the FCC. I am not sure how much Trump's FCC will pay attention to the report, though....

[–] Chozo@fedia.io 27 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Whatever you do, you shouldn't accidentally spill saltwater on it. That could destroy a very expensive piece of spying equipment, and would be a terrible, tragic accident that could interfere with the advance of nazism.

[–] Nastybutler@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago

You're thinking of magnets. That's how you ruin magnets.

https://youtu.be/rkIKEJPAUzM

[–] finitebanjo@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Hang on while I fly up and spill water on a fucking plane or the side of a private building.

[–] felixwhynot@lemmy.world 23 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Report it to your favorite news media ig

[–] MTZ@lemmy.world 23 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Also alert your friends/colleagues that there are IMEI/IMSI scanners at the event, so that they can prepare accordingly by leaving their phone at home, putting it in a farraday bag, etc.

[–] artyom@piefed.social 15 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

It doesn't matter if there are IMSI catchers or not, they should be leaving their phones at home.

[–] Geodad@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Or use GrapheneOS in airplane mode.

[–] artyom@piefed.social 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

That's probably best case scenario but I have one and left it at home last time.

[–] Geodad@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Someone needs to document the event. 🙂

[–] artyom@piefed.social 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

There's no shortage of professional photographers and videographers

[–] Geodad@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

And a camera makes you the prime target for a fascist force.

See IDF shooting journalists.

[–] artyom@piefed.social 3 points 2 weeks ago

All the more reason...

[–] peoplebeproblems@midwest.social 11 points 2 weeks ago

Find your anarchist friend with excess radio equipment and let them know.

[–] sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 2 weeks ago

Wait, people didn't know about StingRays?

They've been around for like a decade now.

But uh, yeah, basically, they're fake/spoof/honeypot cell towers that man-in-the-middle all nearby cell network traffic.

This is how they do the whole... everything dragnet, all the time, basically all cop cruisers have them in them, active all the time, this is why you just don't bring your phone to a protest unless you really know what you're doing.