ACLU: Prison phone company illegally exploiting visitors phones

The ACLU points out, on its website - that - "Company That Handles Prison Phone Calls Is Surveilling People Who Aren’t in Prison"

Neema Singh Guliani, ACLU Legislative Counsel
& Nathan Freed Wessler, Staff Attorney, ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, point out the facts that:

Securus, one of the country’s largest providers of phone services to incarcerated people, is known for its shady, cruel, and sometimes illegal business practices. It has charged exorbitant rates for prisoners’ calls, limited family and friends to video-only “visits” with incarcerated loved ones, and violated attorney-client privilege by recording phone calls between prisoners and their attorneys.

This week, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) revealed even more troubling practices that undermine the privacy and civil liberties of millions upon millions of Americans. In letters made public on Friday demanding action from the Federal Communications Commission and several major telecommunications companies, Wyden described Securus’ ability to obtain and share the cell phone location information of virtually anyone who uses a phone.

The letters report that Securus provides correctional facilities with the ability to access real-time location data for virtually any individual in the country — without making sure that officials have obtained a warrant or proper consent.

Undermining Safeguards Against Warrantless Cell Phone Tracking