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Phone Hackers: Britain's Secret Surveillance

VICE News searches London for IMSI catchers — a secret surveillance tool for spying on thousands of phones simultaneously — and goes undercover to buy one.

IMSI catchers are portable surveillance tools used for spying on thousands of phones in a targeted area, tracking their location and even intercepting calls, messages, and data. They are supposed to help identify serious criminals, but cannot operate without monitoring innocent people too.

UK police have IMSI catchers, but they refuse to tell the public how and when they are used. This has privacy campaigners worried. And, even if the state is using them sparingly, what if criminals also have access to the technology?

VICE News searches London for IMSI catchers, then goes shopping at a state security fair, and finally finds a shady technology company who'll sell us the spy gear.

Watch "Jailed for Life for Minor Crimes: The UK's Forgotten Prisoners"

Read "VICE News Investigation Finds Signs of Secret Phone Surveillance Across London"

Read "UK Police Tried to Buy Hacking Team's Spy Tech, Leaked Emails Show"