Skip to main content

Michigan police being questioned for extracting smartphone data

cellebriteGetting pulled over is bad enough without having to worry about the last text message you sent. The ACLU is attempting to investigate Michigan police officers’ use of a device that extracts information from the smartphones of drivers they’ve pulled over.

On April 13, the ACLU of Michigan revealed it has been seeking information from authorities regarding the use of this device and that officials have yet to cooperate with this request. ACLU of Michigan Racial Justice Project staff attorney Mark P. Francher explains the organization’s concern: “Through these many requests for information we have tried to establish whether these devices are being used legally. It’s telling that Michigan State Police would rather play this stalling game than respect the public’s right to know.”

The civil rights groups claims that state police have had these devices for years, and that they can download information stored on a smartphone in a matter of minutes without the owner’s knowledge. The ACLU rightly points out that this crosses into searching through a citizen’s personal data without consent, warrant, and possibly based on little more than a traffic violation. There is particular concern that the devices are being implemented primarily against minorities.

So what precisely can these data-extractors pick up? A frighteningly wide array of information: “contacts, text messages, deleted text messages, call history, pictures, audio and video recordings, phone details including the phone number and complete memory file dumps on some handsets.”

The device in question is the Cellebrite UFED Physical Pro, “a high-end, all-in-one solution for logical and physical extraction.” The Cellebrite is able to procure iPhone media content in less than two minutes, and can also pull geotags as well as Google Earth locations – even those that have been deleted. It’s an inarguably powerful tool, and one that could make a police officer’s job easier and highly controversial. There are a slew of issues, aside to that whole invasion of privacy thing here: There’s the possibility of seemingly suspicious information being misconstrued, or past illegal activity being added to a list of charges. And, of course, there’s the very distinct possibility that some embarrassing photos or text messages will be seen by eyes other than yours and their intended’s, and while that won’t land you in jail (hopefully…) it’s less than ideal.

Of course, used with restriction, the Cellebrite has its benefits. Which is why it seems suspect the Michigan police are failing to find some sort of common ground between privacy rights and the use of this device. A simple “And now if you submit to it I’m going to scan your cellphone” is literally all officers would have to do. Sure, plenty of people are going to respond with “like hell you are” but that’s called the Fourth Amendment.

The authorities have said they will give up full disclosure to the ACLU, but only provided the organization pays them a processing fee of $544,680. Seem steep? The ACLU thinks so. Either it’s been highly inflated to keep the organization at bay for awhile, or the Michigan State Police have extracted a shocking amount of data from citizens.

Molly McHugh
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…
How to turn off call forwarding on iPhone and Android
A person holding the Apple iPhone 15 Plus, showing the camera.

If you’re mysteriously missing calls on your iPhone or Android smartphone, it may be because call forwarding is activated on your line. In that case, all your incoming calls could be going somewhere else.

Call forwarding shouldn’t typically be active unless you’ve specifically turned it on, but another person or app may have done so without your knowledge. And since call forwarding is a carrier feature, it could still be enabled on a line you inherited from someone else, even if you’ve swapped their SIM card into your phone or transferred it to a new account.

Read more
Best iPhone 14 deals: Unlocked and refurbished
The Apple iPhone 14 Pro's camera module

While the iPhone 15 may be Apple’s most recent iPhone release, that only makes the iPhone 14 a better way to save. The iPhone 14 isn’t far removed from being among the best phones on the market, and it’s still a powerhouse option for most smartphone users. There are a lot of ways to save on an iPhone 14, with shopping refurbished models being one of the best. You'll get a good warranty and a large return window shopping refurbished with most major retailers, which makes them some of the best iPhone 14 deals you'll find. With so many to take advantage of right now, we thought we’d do the heavy lifting and put all of the best iPhone 14 deals together in one place. Reading onward you’ll find some impressive savings on all models of the Apple iPhone 14.
Apple iPhone 14 -- from $479, was $699

With the Apple iPhone 14 you’re getting what is still one of the most popular smartphones on the market. This is the iPhone 14 model that’s meant for everyone. It holds back a few features you can only get on the Pro model, but it still has an impressive 6.1-inch display, an impressive camera, and dozens of ways to personalize your iOS experience with widgets and fonts. The phone can reach up to 26 hours of battery life on a single charge, and it’s powered by Apple’s A15 Bionic chip. Face ID, emergency SOS via satellite, and super fast 5G cellular connectivity round out the top features of the Apple iPhone 14.
Buy Refurbished at Amazon — from $479

Read more
How to reset Apple AirPods and AirPods Pro
Apple AirPods 3.

There's plenty to love about Apple's AirPods. The glossy white ear speakers are among some of the best Wireless earbuds money can buy, which is why so many people have them. But like all consumer tech items, you may run into a few bugs or glitches with your AirPods from time to time, or perhaps you're selling off your original AirPods Pro to buy the latest model, the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C.

Read more