Dirtbox (cell phone)

A dirtbox (or DRT box) is a cell site simulator, a phone device mimicking a cell phone tower, that creates a signal strong enough to cause nearby dormant mobile phones to switch to it. Mounted on aircraft, it has been used by the United States Marshals Service since at least 2007 to locate and collect information from cell phones believed to be connected with criminal activity. It can also be used to jam phones. The device's name comes from the company that developed it, Digital Receiver Technology, Inc. (DRT), owned by the Boeing Company. Boeing describes the device as a hybrid of "jamming, managed access and detection".^[1]^: 1 A similar device with a smaller range, the controversial StingRay phone tracker, has been widely used by U.S. federal entities, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

^ The Boeing Company (11 June 2010). "Technical Approaches to Preventing Contraband Cell Phone Use in Prisons;Docket No. 100504212-0212-01" (PDF). National Telecommunications and Information Administration. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 October 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2014.

[ntia-1] The Boeing Company (11 June 2010). "Technical Approaches to Preventing Contraband Cell Phone Use in Prisons;Docket No. 100504212-0212-01" (PDF). National Telecommunications and Information Administration. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 October 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2014.

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