FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler told a House lawmaker...

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler told a House lawmaker that the agency is looking into the phone devices known as international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) catchers. “I have recently established a task force to initiate immediate steps to combat the illicit and unauthorized use of IMSI catchers,” Wheeler said in a letter to Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla. (http://bit.ly/1pMOV1O). “The mission of this task force is to develop concrete solutions to protect the cellular network systemically from similar unlawful intrusions and interceptions. The task force can also leverage the agency’s risk responsibility with our federal partners ... in order to clamp down on the unauthorized use of these devices and promote consumer privacy.” An IMSI catcher is a device used to intercept cellphone traffic and track the movement of wireless subscribers by simulating a fake wireless tower between the phone and the real tower used by the carrier.