Report: FBI uses fake companies to disguise surveillance planes with video and cellphone technology
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The FBI operates a fleet of low-flying aircraft equipped with video and cellphone surveillance technology that generally gather information without judicial approval, according to an investigative report.
The airplanes operate under the names of fake companies, including FVX Research, KQM Aviation, NBR Aviation and PXW Services, the Associated Press reports. Basic aspects of the program are withheld in inspector general reports, while FBI is also careful to keep the details out of court documents, according to the wire service.
FBI spokesman Christopher Allen released a statement to AP saying the aviation program is not secret, but “specific aircraft and their capabilities are protected for operational security purposes.” He added that the planes are not used for “bulk collection activities or mass surveillance.”
Some of the planes are equipped with technology that mimics cellphone towers to obtain cellphone information. Officials say the planes are rarely used for cellphone surveillance, though AP noted the planes were recently flying around large, enclosed buildings where collection of cellphone signals would be more effective than video. The buildings included the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and the Mall of America.
The FBI does not generally obtain warrants for video surveillance of people moving about outside, but it recently began obtaining court orders to use the technology that mimics cellphone towers.
