This week, three civil rights groups filed a complaint against the Baltimore Police Department regarding consistent use of stingray technology that tracks cellphones.
According to CBS Baltimore, the Center for Media Justice, Color of Change, and the New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute have cited the disproportionate usage of the technology on Black Baltimore residents.
As a result, these three organizations sent a complaint to the Federal Communications Commission hoping they would take legal action.
The complaint details how the stingray technology can disrupt emergency phone calls, spy on protesters and track cellular phones.
While police say the tech is vital in solving crime, it has been used in mainly Black neighborhoods.
Nevertheless, the device is problematic to the civil rights groups.
Laura Moy, acting director for the Institute for Public Representation of Georgetown Law School, cites the Department of Justice’s report on Baltimore Police as evidence.
“It is a secretive device that really tracks people without their knowledge or consent,” she tells reporters.
