U.S. spying on thousands of citizens' cellphones in hunt for criminal suspects

The United States Justice department is spying on thousands of American citizens by scooping data from their cellphones in a hunt for criminal suspects that is snagging a number of innocent people, according to those familiar with the operations.

According to Fox News, the U.S. Marshals Service program operates Cassna aircraft from at least five metropolitan area airports that covers most of the American population, said people familiar with the spying operations.

The technology in the two-foot-square device enables investigators to scoop data from tens of thousands of cellphones in a single flight.

The technology also recognizes people's general location and collects their identity and related information.

The Justice department has neither denied nor accepted the existence of such operations.