Revelations from an Associated Press investigation reveal a secret air force being used by the FBI to fly surveillance flights over dozens of US cities, including Phoenix.
Despite complaints by civil liberties organizations, the agency claims these flights are legal.
You may have seen these flights circling your neighborhood and been none the wiser as to what's going on.
The planes used look like any other private plane but are equipped with cameras and high-tech devices that can trick your cellphone into giving up information.
The Associated Press investigation found that in a single month the agency flew at least 100 flights over 30 cities.
The confirmation of these flights was a first for the FBI, which claimed the surveillance was for ongoing investigations.
A former agent said the planes were often used as eyes in the sky for agents carrying out surveillance on the ground.
Officials said they had recently begun getting warrants to obtain some of the information captured.
The Associated Press reported that the equipment aboard the unassuming and previously unknown air force is capable of capturing images and information from people on the ground that could be handed over to prosecutors.
The agency admitted to using at least one of these planes over Baltimore, Maryland, during the unrest following the death of an African-American man who had been in police custody.
If you thought you had seen one of these planes and captured a tail number to look up online, you may never know what you'd come across because these aircraft are registered under dummy corporations.
It's believed the FBI may have more than 100 planes in its secret air force.
