Minnesota Law Enforcement Agencies Reportedly Tracking Cell Phone Information

While there has been a lot of buzz about government spying and "Big Brother" with the revelations regarding the NSA earlier this year, KARE 11 in the Twin Cities has learned that Minnesota law enforcement agencies are also keeping an eye on your technology.

The report states that it has confirmed the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and Hennepin County Sheriff's Office have purchased cellular phone tracking and exploitation technology to track and monitor cell phone activity. The technology is designed to mimic a cell phone tower and allows for data extraction of nearby cell phones.

KARE 11's report is part of an investigation the USA Today conducted, finding at least 25 local agencies across the country are using devices similar to those described above. These operations are largely secret, and when KARE 11 attempted to contact local agencies about the use of such tracking devices, neither the BCA or Hennepin County Sheriff's Office accepted requests for interviews.

At this time, it is unknown how many agencies around Minnesota are currently using such technology; but it raises obvious questions, being a vast majority of those being monitored are innocent of crimes the agencies may be looking to crack down on.