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GPS tracking device found on an activist's car

people.torproject.org

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Re: GPS tracking device found on an activist's car

#21

Post by alexnking »

kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #16
jrockway wrote: post #3

I guess it's a sad world when I breathe a sigh of relief upon seeing that this didn't take place in the US. I like how the agency gummed over the chip silkscreens so you can't see what chips they're using. Even though it's obvious that one is flash, another is a GPS module, and the third is the micro. And it appears that some scraping will show you the part numbers anyway. Amateur hour.

This has already happened in the US. Pretty galling that the FBI requested one to be returned: http://www.wired.com/2011/11/gps-tracker-times-two/ http://www.wired.com/2010/10/fbi-tracking-device/ Would be interesting if they could lift any prints from the tape on this newest one and publish them. I can't imagine it's easy to apply duct tape with gloves on.

The first article mentions a Supreme Court case in 2011 to "determine if authorities can track U.S. citizens with GPS vehicle trackers without a warrant" - anyone know what that case was or how it was decided?

Re: GPS tracking device found on an activist's car

#22

Post by bhayden »

kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #16
jrockway wrote: post #3

I guess it's a sad world when I breathe a sigh of relief upon seeing that this didn't take place in the US. I like how the agency gummed over the chip silkscreens so you can't see what chips they're using. Even though it's obvious that one is flash, another is a GPS module, and the third is the micro. And it appears that some scraping will show you the part numbers anyway. Amateur hour.

This has already happened in the US. Pretty galling that the FBI requested one to be returned: http://www.wired.com/2011/11/gps-tracker-times-two/ http://www.wired.com/2010/10/fbi-tracking-device/ Would be interesting if they could lift any prints from the tape on this newest one and publish them. I can't imagine it's easy to apply duct tape with gloves on.

You can replace "requested" with "threatened everything short of violence"

Re: GPS tracking device found on an activist's car

#23

Post by thret »

tlrobinson wrote: post #11
markrages wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The enterprising hacker could always use a LabSat[1] device to play back a bogus GPS trace. No physical connection to the board is required. [1] http://www.labsat.co.uk

I'd like to see FBI agents pulling up a map of the guy's locations and finding an elaborate drawing of a penis.

I'm sure this will happen on Archer at some point.

Re: GPS tracking device found on an activist's car

#24

Post by vermontdevil »

alexnking wrote: post #21
kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This has already happened in the US. Pretty galling that the FBI requested one to be returned: http://www.wired.com/2011/11/gps-tracker-times-two/ http://www.wired.com/2010/10/fbi-tracking-device/ Would be interesting if they could lift any prints from the tape on this newest one and publish them. I can't imagine it's easy to apply duct tape with gloves on.

The first article mentions a Supreme Court case in 2011 to "determine if authorities can track U.S. citizens with GPS vehicle trackers without a warrant" - anyone know what that case was or how it was decided?

9-0 unanimous that the police must have a warrant prior to using a GPS vehicle tracker. The reasonings differ among the justices but the vote was unanimous.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Jones_%282012%...

Re: GPS tracking device found on an activist's car

#25

Post by Sanddancer »

I'd second a motion for scraping off the big chips to get some part numbers, to make it easier to get pinouts to hook up probes and other ways to get it to give up its electronic secrets. Though I am rather unplussed with the soldering job there, and personally would disavow soldering such a mess. Big blobs of solder, real crappy joints, and even a few spots that look heat damaged. More than a bit of me is surprised it even worked in the first place.

Re: GPS tracking device found on an activist's car

#26

Post by Sanddancer »

gnu8 wrote: post #17
jrockway wrote: post #3

I guess it's a sad world when I breathe a sigh of relief upon seeing that this didn't take place in the US. I like how the agency gummed over the chip silkscreens so you can't see what chips they're using. Even though it's obvious that one is flash, another is a GPS module, and the third is the micro. And it appears that some scraping will show you the part numbers anyway. Amateur hour.

The vendor obscures the chips because they sell these devices to agencies for thousands of dollars on government purchase orders. It wouldn't do for the customer to discover they could build these things for less than $100 in parts that anyone can order from anywhere.

Wouldn't surprise me if this was a one-off job. All those joints were hand-soldered, which is something you don't do unless you're the tiniest of tiny vendors, and someone who really didn't want to get people looking at it would have used something other than tape to wrap it up.

Re: GPS tracking device found on an activist's car

#27

Post by Crito »

tlrobinson wrote: post #11
markrages wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The enterprising hacker could always use a LabSat[1] device to play back a bogus GPS trace. No physical connection to the board is required. [1] http://www.labsat.co.uk

I'd like to see FBI agents pulling up a map of the guy's locations and finding an elaborate drawing of a penis.

Kind of reminds me how Boeing test pilots will often draw shapes on the map when they are flying around aircraft to get in test hours.

Here is a 787 logo 'drawn' with a 787: http://flightaware.com/live/flight/BOE236/history/20120209/2...

Re: GPS tracking device found on an activist's car

#28

Post by spiritplumber »

vermontdevil wrote: post #24
alexnking wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The first article mentions a Supreme Court case in 2011 to "determine if authorities can track U.S. citizens with GPS vehicle trackers without a warrant" - anyone know what that case was or how it was decided?

9-0 unanimous that the police must have a warrant prior to using a GPS vehicle tracker. The reasonings differ among the justices but the vote was unanimous. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Jones_%282012%...

Faith in humanity for today restored!

Re: GPS tracking device found on an activist's car

#29

Post by tedunangst »

cloudwalking wrote: post #13
jrockway wrote: post #3

I guess it's a sad world when I breathe a sigh of relief upon seeing that this didn't take place in the US. I like how the agency gummed over the chip silkscreens so you can't see what chips they're using. Even though it's obvious that one is flash, another is a GPS module, and the third is the micro. And it appears that some scraping will show you the part numbers anyway. Amateur hour.

It does take place in the US though, just not this instance... http://www.wired.com/2010/10/fbi-tracking-device/ Edit: this is downvoted, but a similar comment with the same link, posted 10 minutes later, is upvoted? I don't understand.

present tense vs past tense?
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