Recent revelations that the IRS has the ability to lift metadata from cell phones has raised alarm in legislators in both the House and the Senate, with inquires being planned and legislation being drafted just days after the findings.

Last week it was revealed that revealed that the service, in 2009, bought sophisticated surveillance technology and, in 2012, spent more money to upgrade the system. Called "Stingray," the technology allows investigators to imitate cell phone towers in order to collect metadata about nearby devices, as well as content like texts and emails in certain cases. It is the same type of technology employed by agencies such as the FBI, DEA and NSA. 

This knowledge has sent Congress scrambling. Just one day after the news broke, the head of the IRS was called before the Senate Finance Committee, who told its members that the devices are only used in criminal investigations, and that they require a court order to be deployed. However, this has clearly not eased lawmakers' concerns: the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) have sent a letter to the Treasury Secretary demanding answers, expressing deep concern about the privacy implications of such devices. 

In the House, meanwhile, House Oversight Committee Chair Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) has introduced a bill that would require the a warrant from a local, state or federal agency before Stingray technology could be used, according to the Guardian, a much higher standard than the court order that is currently required. In a statement, Chaffetz asked how much freedom are the people willing to give up in the name of security, said the Guardian.