Cops Get Phone Data From Brokers

Last December, MSNBC's Bob Sullivan came on my show to expose how your cell phone records are for sale online and elsewhere by over 100 private companies (listen here).

Today, AP's John Solomon reported on new developments in this attack on our privacy. Law enforcement agencies at every level (local to federal), are using those companies to gather that data without warrants or subpoenas. This is not the same as the NSA domestic spying, which supposedly targets terrorism suspect -- this is much more far-reaching.

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Tomorrow, Congress is going to begin two days of hearings into the propriety of these companies gathering our private data (which goes well beyond just phone records) in the first place. Ironically, the execs of the data brokers will likely take the fifth -- they want the protection of the US Constitution at the same time they're violating our right to privacy. There has to be something illegal about this, but that's not stopping either the cops or the companies from doing it, usually through the most sordid means. It would be nice to have the private records of a few congressmen be made public and see how they like it.

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