Canadian police have, for years, been using cell site simulators to identify and track citizens’ cellphones, often without fully informing the courts or the public. Cell site simulators are pieces of hardware that mimic the telecommunications towers used by phones to relay messages and to send and receive calls. The trouble is, cell site simulators are a blunt instrument. Submissions before a Quebec appeals court revealed that cell site simulators were known to produce inconclusive results. The same year, the RCMP finally admitted it used cell site simulators, but only after it was reported by technology site Motherboard.

Source: National Post November 28, 2019 18:33 UTC