BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//OpenACalendar//NONSGML OpenACalendar//EN X-WR-CALNAME:Open Rights Group Birmingham: Learn about how mobile phone use rs are spied on in Birmingham - Open Tech Calendar BEGIN:VEVENT UID:4823@otc.opentechcalendar.co.uk URL:https://opentechcalendar.co.uk/event/4823-learn-about-how-mobile-phone- users-are-spied-on-in SUMMARY:Open Rights Group Birmingham: Learn about how mobile phone users ar e spied on in Birmingham DESCRIPTION:Join us for our first meetup of 2017 to find out how police for ces in the West Midlands are covertly using devices- known as IMSI-catcher s or Stingrays - to indiscriminately intercept and hack up to 500 phones e very minute. We'll be exploring what police use of IMSI-catchers means for our human rights and civil liberties and what we can do to challenge indi scriminate surveillance.\n\nWhat's an IMSI-catcher?\n\nLast autumn\, indep endent media co-operative The Bristol Cable revealed that West Midlands\, Staffordshire\, West Mercia\, and Warwickshire police\, along with other p olice forces throughout the UK\, had bought devices - known as IMSI-catche r or stingrays - that allow them to spy on thousands of mobile phones at a time.\n\nIMSI-catchers act as 'fake' mobile phone towers. When deployed\, all phones in range of the device (anywhere up to an 8km radius!) will tr y to connect to it. This allows the catcher to intercept your communicatio ns and access a raft of personal information\, including:\n\no Your phone' s IMSI number - a unique personal identifier\n\no Your location\n\no Calls and text messages\n\no Encryption keys used to secure your communications \n\nIndiscriminate surveillance with little or no scrutiny\n\nBecause IMSI -catcher indiscriminately hoover up mobile update\, their legality has bee n hotly contested. Silkie Carlo\, Policy Officer at Liberty has said:\n\n" It is inconceivable that using devices built to indiscriminately intercept and hack up to 500 phones every minute within an 8km radius can be lawful "\n\nCampaigners have fought for many years to get authorities to even ack nowledge the existence of IMSI-catcher\, let alone accept democratic debat e and legal scrutiny over their use.\n\nThere are concerns IMSI-catchers a re being used to target peaceful protesters. Last year\, a special investi gation revealed IMSI-catchers were being used at anti-austerity protests.\ n\nHow are IMSI-catchers used in Birmingham?\n\nCommenting on the revelati ons in The Express and Star\, West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said: "We maintain close oversight of this important area o f work."\n\nYet as members of the public\, there is no way to know if this is true\, as West Midlands Police will neither confirm or deny they own o r use IMSI-catchers because\, according to them\, doing so would so would compromise operations.\n\nhttps://youtu.be/rzBWoVh4qhk\n\nAccessibility\n\ nPlease be aware our meetup will be held in the basement room at BOM. Acce ss to the basement room is via stairs only and so unfortunately our event may not be accessible to all. Please get in touch with us if you have any accessibility issues and we will do our best to resolve them.\n\nImage: an IMSI-catcher\, commonly known as a Stingray. Source: Public Domain\nhttps ://opentechcalendar.co.uk/event/4823-learn-about-how-mobile-phone-users-ar e-spied-on-in\nPowered by Open Tech Calendar X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:
Join us for our first meetup of
2017 to find out how police forces in the West Midlands are covertly usin
g devices- known as IMSI-catchers or Stingrays - to indiscriminately inter
cept and hack up to 500 phones every minute. We'll be exploring what polic
e use of IMSI-catchers means for our human rights and civil liberties and
what we can do to challenge indiscriminate surveillance.
What's an
IMSI-catcher?
Last autumn\, independent media co-operative The Bris
tol Cable revealed that West Midlands\, Staffordshire\, West Mercia\, and
Warwickshire police\, along with other police forces throughout the UK\, h
ad bought devices - known as IMSI-catcher or stingrays - that allow them t
o spy on thousands of mobile phones at a time.
IMSI-catchers act as
'fake' mobile phone towers. When deployed\, all phones in range of the de
vice (anywhere up to an 8km radius!) will try to connect to it. This allow
s the catcher to intercept your communications and access a raft of person
al information\, including:
&bull\; Your phone's IMSI number - a un
ique personal identifier
&bull\; Your location
&bull\; Calls
and text messages
&bull\; Encryption keys used to secure your comm
unications
Indiscriminate surveillance with little or no scrutiny
Because IMSI-catcher indiscriminately hoover up mobile update\, thei
r legality has been hotly contested. Silkie Carlo\, Policy Officer at Libe
rty has said:
&ldquo\;It is inconceivable that using devices built
to indiscriminately intercept and hack up to 500 phones every minute withi
n an 8km radius can be lawful&rdquo\;
Campaigners have fought for m
any years to get authorities to even acknowledge the existence of IMSI-cat
cher\, let alone accept democratic debate and legal scrutiny over their us
e.
There are concerns IMSI-catchers are being used to target peacef
ul protesters. Last year\, a special investigation revealed IMSI-catchers
were being used at anti-austerity protests.
How are IMSI-catchers u
sed in Birmingham?
Commenting on the revelations in The Express and
Star\, West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said: &
ldquo\;We maintain close oversight of this important area of work.&rdquo\;
Yet as members of the public\, there is no way to know if this is
true\, as West Midlands Police will neither confirm or deny they own or us
e IMSI-catchers because\, according to them\, doing so would so would comp
romise operations.
https://youtu.be/rzBWoVh4qhk
Accessibilit
y
Please be aware our meetup will be held in the basement room at B
OM. Access to the basement room is via stairs only and so unfortunately ou
r event may not be accessible to all. Please get in touch with us if you h
ave any accessibility issues and we will do our best to resolve them.
<
br>Image: an IMSI-catcher\, commonly known as a Stingray. Source: Public D
omain
More info: https://opentechcalend ar.co.uk/event/4823-learn-about-how-mobile-phone-users-are-spied-on-in
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DTSTART:20170222T183000Z DTEND:20170222T203000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170128T000704Z SEQUENCE:15914941 DTSTAMP:20170124T220514Z END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR