FBI Seized Thousands of Cellphone Records of Those at the Capital on January 6

February 26, 2021 in News by RBN Staff

source:  needtoknownews

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The FBI collected thousands of phone and electronic records of those at the Capitol on January 6, including some belonging to members of Congress. The FBI relied on emergency orders that do not require court authorization to secure communications from people at the scene. They also obtained information from cell phone towers and telecom providers. Many felony indictments are expected. -GEG

Within hours of the storming of the Capitol on January 6, the FBI began securing thousands of phone and electronic records connected to people at the scene of the rioting — including some related to members of Congress, raising potentially thorny legal questions.

Using special emergency powers and other measures, the FBI has collected reams of private cellphone data and communications that go beyond the videos that rioters shared widely on social media, according to two sources with knowledge of the collection effort.

In the hours and days after the Capitol riot, the FBI relied in some cases on emergency orders that do not require court authorization in order to quickly secure actual communications from people who were identified at the crime scene. Investigators have also relied on data “dumps” from cellphone towers in the area to provide a map of who was there, allowing them to trace call records — but not content — from the phones.

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