By Shane Trejo
Missouri HB2104 would help block the use of cell site simulators, commonly known as “stingrays.” These devices essentially spoof cell phone towers, tricking any device within range into connecting to the stingray instead of the tower, allowing law enforcement to sweep up communications content, as well as locate and track the person in possession of a specific phone or other electronic device.
The bill would also prohibit the state and its political subdivisions from assisting, participating with, or providing “material support or resources, to a federal agency to enable it to collect, or to facilitate the collection or use of a person’s electronic data”
The legislation passed the House by an overwhelming 136-1 vote on Mar. 8 and is now in the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee where it will need to be approved before moving forward.
PLEASE TAKE THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS to support this important bill.
1. Call the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee Chair, Bob Dixon. Strongly, but respectfully, urge him to hold a hearing on HB2104, then an executive session for a vote. A phone call has 10x the impact of an email.
Dixon: (573) 751-2583
2. Call all the rest of the committee members. Again, be firm, but respectful. Urge each of them to take action to move the bill forward and vote YES on HB2104.
Bob Onder (R) Vice Chair – (573) 751-1282
Ed Emery (R) – (573) 751-2108
Jason Holzman (D) – (573) 751-6607
Andrew Koenig (R) – (573) 751-5568
Scott Sifton (D) – (573) 751-0220
3. Call Back – any NO or UNDECIDED – in 2-3 days. Make sure to follow up. If they say YES, be sure to thank them and, if possible, announce their committed YES vote to email and social media contacts. If they say no, politely ask them why. Get the information from them and contact us.
4. Spread the Word. Share this information widely by Facebook, Twitter, email and other social networks.
5. Report Back. Click HERE to tell us how your actions went.
Shane Trejo writes for The Tenth Amendment Center, where this article first appeared.
This is just another all show but totally ineffective law. If you have enough money you can buy a similar relay device where a targeted phone would go through the device to be used against you by someone other than law enforcement. States cannot ban Federal law enforcement from doing anything, and with the state and locals no law is going to keep them from doing what they want to do for law enforcement purposes, and on the individual level is goes on until they get caught – if they can be caught. Privacy as we once thought of it is simply gone, and probably even worse we give out personal information to get prizes on the net and other places. Stormy probably has pictures of the great draft dodger in chief because that was her business.
Hope this happens. I am calling them all on Monday.