Johannesburg - The government’s security agencies have been asked to reveal the number of spying devices in their possession as it was “invasive and violated the rights of ordinary people”.
The Right2Know Campaign (R2K) has made a Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) application forcing the agencies to reveal the sensitive information.
R2K was joined in its application by the Open Democracy Advice Centre.
The parties filed two separate PAIA application to the SAPS, the State Security Agency, and the departments of Public Works and National Treasury last week, asking for the records of the procurements of the spying devices commonly known as “The Grabber”.
The application comes a week after The Star published a story about three men who were arrested after they were found in possession of the prohibited super-spying device in Pretoria.
R2K also sent a separate PAIA request to the Department of Justice and Correctional Services asking for evidence of any warrants that had been issued giving them permission to use the technology.
R2K’s Murray Hunter said they were concerned that the use of the devices infringed on the rights of ordinary people.
R2K challenged the state to account to the public and reveal how many of the devices have been acquired, how much was paid and what they were being used for.
The organisations also want the security agencies to explain what measures have been put in place to protect ordinary people against the abuse of such equipment.
Hunter said South Africans should be worried about the possible existence of the devices in the country.
He said they could be as small as a car battery, were capable of listening in on thousands of cellphones in a radius of up to several kilometres, and identify each user by their SIM card.
“While they are acquired in secret for ‘national security’ purposes, these invasive devices have reportedly been used by other governments to investigate petty crime and to identify participants at protests.
“In a number of countries, human rights groups have submitted complaints or legal challenges to their use,” Hunter said.
The spying devices, Hunter said, “suck up the phone information of everyone in a certain radius, not just the person being targeted by police”.
Even if a warrant were issued for a suspected criminal, the device might violate thousands of other people’s privacy in the process.
“The device picks up information on the cellphones of all the people who are in the area without them knowing,” he said.
Willie Lotter and two other men were arrested after they were found in possession of a device worth R29 million.
Lotter is out on bail of R10 000 while the other two have been released due to insufficient evidence.
The spying gadget, which was custom made, can bug up to 10 000 cellphone lines and locate anyone’s whereabouts.
This powerful tool can jam networks, download and intercept SMSes, send SMSes to any number, and detect other such devices and block them.
Sources said the gadget was brought into the country to be used to intercept the conversations of cigarette smugglers by a rival gang who wanted a monopoly over the illegal trade.
The Star