BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Spies in the skies. A new report reveals the staggering scope of government surveillance from the air, including several times during the recent unrest in Baltimore.
WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren with the surprising way Big Brother is watching you.
An Associated Press report reveals the FBI is flying hundreds of video equipped surveillance flights nationwide — alarming privacy advocates.
The spy program first gained attention after revelations the agency kept watch on the Baltimore riots from the sky.
“This has been going on for years,” said Captain Jeff Long, Sky Eye Chopper 13.
WJZ’s Captain Jeff saw the FBI aircraft during the unrest.
“We had state police, city, county police, three news helicopters flying way above us that we pretty much assumed was FBI,” he said. “That day, we did not hear their call signs, but we’ve seen their aircraft. So we know what they look like.”
Documents WJZ obtained show the aircraft was registered to a sham company with a fake owner. Yet the government contends: “The FBI’s aviation program is not secret. Planes are not equipped, designed or used for bulk collection activities or mass surveillance.”
“With a plane in the air, no target of surveillance can know they’re a target,” said David Rocah, ACLU.
The ACLU’s David Rocah doesn’t buy the government’s story.
“The number of surveillance flights is absolutely staggering. To say it’s not a secret program — I don’t know what they mean by secret,” he said.
These planes typically fly slowly — about a mile off the ground — and they are equipped with technology that can track your cell phone, even if it’s turned off.
That includes basic information about people never suspected of a crime.
In addition to Baltimore, the planes are flying over D.C. and major cities from coast to coast.
“I don’t think there’s anything illegal about this,” said Vernon Herron, senior policy analyst, University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security. “The courts have ruled many times that police have the ability to conduct surveillance.”
“We must balance the rights of our citizens, but we also must protect the safety of our citizens,” he continued.
Navigation is becoming tricky for the government, with new demands to know what’s happening to the data Big Brother is continuing to collect.
“Once they have that video record, they can go back to find where any one of us was. That is a scary proposition,” said Rocah.
The Associated Press reports the government has spent millions of dollars every year on the program.
WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren with the surprising way Big Brother is watching you.
An Associated Press report reveals the FBI is flying hundreds of video equipped surveillance flights nationwide — alarming privacy advocates.
The spy program first gained attention after revelations the agency kept watch on the Baltimore riots from the sky.
“This has been going on for years,” said Captain Jeff Long, Sky Eye Chopper 13.
WJZ’s Captain Jeff saw the FBI aircraft during the unrest.
“We had state police, city, county police, three news helicopters flying way above us that we pretty much assumed was FBI,” he said. “That day, we did not hear their call signs, but we’ve seen their aircraft. So we know what they look like.”
Documents WJZ obtained show the aircraft was registered to a sham company with a fake owner. Yet the government contends: “The FBI’s aviation program is not secret. Planes are not equipped, designed or used for bulk collection activities or mass surveillance.”
“With a plane in the air, no target of surveillance can know they’re a target,” said David Rocah, ACLU.
The ACLU’s David Rocah doesn’t buy the government’s story.
“The number of surveillance flights is absolutely staggering. To say it’s not a secret program — I don’t know what they mean by secret,” he said.
These planes typically fly slowly — about a mile off the ground — and they are equipped with technology that can track your cell phone, even if it’s turned off.
That includes basic information about people never suspected of a crime.
In addition to Baltimore, the planes are flying over D.C. and major cities from coast to coast.
“I don’t think there’s anything illegal about this,” said Vernon Herron, senior policy analyst, University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security. “The courts have ruled many times that police have the ability to conduct surveillance.”
“We must balance the rights of our citizens, but we also must protect the safety of our citizens,” he continued.
Navigation is becoming tricky for the government, with new demands to know what’s happening to the data Big Brother is continuing to collect.
“Once they have that video record, they can go back to find where any one of us was. That is a scary proposition,” said Rocah.
The Associated Press reports the government has spent millions of dollars every year on the program.
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