New York: The Federal Bureau of Investigation is taking the position that court warrants are not required when deploying cell-site simulators in public places. Nicknamed ‘stingrays’, the devices are decoy cell towers that capture locations and identities of mobile phone users and can intercept calls and texts, the DailyMail reported.

The FBI made its position known during private briefings with staff members of Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy  and Senate Chuck Grassley. In response, the two lawmakers wrote Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security chief Jeh Johnson, maintaining they were “concerned about whether the FBI and other law enforcement agencies have adequately considered the privacy interests” of Americans.

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