Android phones could soon warn you of “Stingrays” snooping on your communications

Smartphones contain a treasure of personal data, making it a valid target for pirates. However, the police are not above spy on mobile phones, and their tactics are generally much more difficult to detect. Simulators of cellular sites, often called rays, can encourage your phone to reveal private communications, but a change in Android 16 could allow phones to detect this espionage.

The law enforcement organizations have massively expanded the use of Stingray devices, because almost all people of interest today use a mobile phone at a given time. These devices essentially encourage phones to connect to them as a normal cell tower, allowing the operator to follow the location of this device. False laps can also move a phone to less secure wireless technology to intercept calls and messages. There is no indication that this happens at the end of the suspect, which is another reason why these machines have become so popular with the police.

However, when monitoring a target, Stinggrays can collect data in other nearby phones. It is not unreasonable to expect a minimum of privacy if you are in the same general area, but sometimes the police use lines simply because they can. There is also evidence that cellular simulators have been deployed by mysterious groups outside the police. In short, it is a issue. Google plans to solve this safety problem for over a year, but a lack of material support has slowed down progress. Finally, in the coming months, we will see the first phones capable of detecting this malicious activity, and Android 16 is ready for this.