State Police can suck data out of cell phones in under two minutes
You don't want to be pulled over by the police in Michigan. When law enforcement wants half a million dollars to produce documents for a FOIA request, something is not right. And since the high-tech mobile forensic device in question can grab data in one-and-a-half minutes off more than 3,000 different cell phone models, it could be used during minor traffic violations to conduct suspicionless and warrantless searches without the phone owner having any idea that all their phone data was now in the hands of authorities.
The Universal Forensic Extraction Device (UFED) made by Cellebrite can extract data off 95% of cell phones on the market. It can also grab GPS information from units in most vehicles. According the company's profile [PDF], the UFED is stand-alone gadget designed for "recovery and analysis" used by law enforcement, intelligence agencies, military and governments across the world in 60 different countries.
The ACLU of Michigan has been trying to get more information to determine if the Michigan State Police (MSP) are using these gadgets to "violate Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches if a warrant is not issued." Back in 2008, after the ACLU filed the first FOIA request for logs, reports and records of use, the MSP said Okay but it will cost $544,680 to retrieve and assemble the documents to disclose how five of the devices were being used. The MSP wanted $272,340 deposit before showing the ACLU documents. After sending 70 different FOIA requests in November, narrowing the time period and the UFED models, the ACLU was told no documents existed with that criteria. It's like a endlessly expensive and unfruitful fishing expedition for information.
