Net cast for spy gadgets
THE government’s security agencies have been asked to reveal the number of spying devices in their possession as they are “invasive” and violate rights of ordinary people.
The Right 2 Know Campaign has made a Promotion of Access to Information Act application forcing the different agencies to reveal the sensitive information.
R2K was joined in its application by the Open Democracy Advice Centre.
Both these parties filed different applications to the SAPS, the State Security Agency, the Department of Public Works and the National Treasury last week, asking for the records of procurements of the spying device commonly known as “The Grabber”.
The application came a few weeks after The Star newspaper published a story about three men who were arrested after they were found in possession of the prohibited superspying device in Pretoria.
R2K also sent a separate Promotion of Access to Information Act request to the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development asking for evidence that any warrants had been issued to use such technology.
R2K’s Murray Hunter said they were concerned that the use of these devices infringed on the rights of ordinary people. They challenged the state to account to the public and tell it how many of these devices had been acquired, how much was paid and what they were being used for.
The organisations also wanted the security agencies to explain what measures had been put in place to protect ordinary people against abuses of these devices.
He said South Africans needed to be very worried about the possible existence of these devices in their society,
Hunter said the devices, which could be as small as a car battery, were capable of listening in on thousands of mobile phones in a radius of several kilometres, and identify each user by the SIM card.
“While they are acquired in secret for ‘national security’ purposes, these invasive devices have reportedly been used by other governments to investigate petty crime and to identify participants at protests. In a number of countries, human rights groups have submitted complaints or legal challenges to their use.”
The spying devices “suck up the phone information of everyone in a certain radius, not just the person that is being targeted by police”.
“Even if there is a warrant issued for a suspected criminal, in the process the device may violate thousands of other people’s privacy too,” Hunter said.
Willie Lotter and two other men were arrested after they were found in possession of a device worth R29 million. The spying gadget, which was custom-made, can bug up to 10 000 cellphone lines and locate anyone’s whereabouts. This powerful tool can jam networks, download and intercept SMSes, send SMSes to any number and pick up other surveillance devices and block them.