Russian Police Scan Cell Phones for Data

Paging Edward Snowden

Here's some irony: as NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden hides out in Russia for exposing the U.S. government's secret surveillance program, the Russian Police Department is commencing an invasive spying program of its own.

Under the guise of catching cell phone thieves, Moscow police will soon be using machines that can read data on subway passenger's cell phones, according to Russian newspaper Izvestia. Moscow Metro police chief Andrei Mokhov announced on Monday that these devices can track data on SIM cards up to five meters away.