Haven't they always done this? They've always used surveillance vans parked outside of suspect's houses with listening equipment, for example. They even used fake company names on the sides of the vans. Why should we be surprised they're using airplanes too?
FBI operating fleet of surveillance aircraft flying over US cities
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Re: FBI operating fleet of surveillance aircraft flying over US cities
#12Haven't they always done this? They've always used surveillance vans parked outside of suspect's houses with listening equipment, for example. They even used fake company names on the sides of the vans. Why should we be surprised they're using airplanes too?
Because now they can spy on millions vs 1. I think that makes the difference.
Re: FBI operating fleet of surveillance aircraft flying over US cities
#13How can an ordinary person tell if one of these spy planes is currently overhead? Is there some way to dink with them, similar to Matt Blaze's in-band signalling vulnerabilities discovery(s) ( http://www.crypto.com/papers/wiretap.pdf ) ? You know, use old phones that still have SIM cards, but have them try to register constantly? I'm a bit vague on cellphone protocol details, so spare me the nit picking, and get on w…
from u/jjwiseman >DOJ/FBI surveillance aircraft often squawk 4414 or 4415 on their transponders. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9508812
I think this is a great thing about HN. Through the noise of the donate links to this and that, others help propagate information how they are building tools that could help decrease the asymmetry of the landscape/ increase transparency surrounding these things in ways more grounded in realism.
Hak5 had a couple episodes dealing with getting set up with SDR and such to be able to do this for yourself[0] that I didn't see covered in that thread which might be useful for others as well.
Re: FBI operating fleet of surveillance aircraft flying over US cities
#14> The FBI asked the AP not to disclose the names of the fake companies it uncovered, saying that would saddle taxpayers with the expense of creating new cover companies to shield the government’s involvement, and could endanger the planes and integrity of the surveillance missions. The AP declined the FBI’s request because the companies’ names – as well as common addresses linked to the Justice Department – are liste…
Gumption will be when they write the follow up article and print the names of the new she'll companies and continue to expose this disgusting behaviour.
Re: FBI operating fleet of surveillance aircraft flying over US cities
#15[deleted]
Re: FBI operating fleet of surveillance aircraft flying over US cities
#16How can an ordinary person tell if one of these spy planes is currently overhead? Is there some way to dink with them, similar to Matt Blaze's in-band signalling vulnerabilities discovery(s) ( http://www.crypto.com/papers/wiretap.pdf ) ? You know, use old phones that still have SIM cards, but have them try to register constantly? I'm a bit vague on cellphone protocol details, so spare me the nit picking, and get on w…
Probably by using something like:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.srlabs.snoo...
https://f-droid.org/repository/browse/?fdid=com.SecUpwN.AIMS...
I wish this kind of "firewall" was included natively in the operating systems, though, even as an opt-in feature. It's time for OS vendors to do something about it, just like they did with local storage encryption (enabled out of the box, even).
Re: FBI operating fleet of surveillance aircraft flying over US cities
#17> "Aircraft surveillance has become an indispensable intelligence collection and investigative technique which serves as a force multiplier to the ground teams," the FBI said in 2009 when it asked Congress for $5.1m for the program. Holy military state, Batman! It seems that the FBI has really taken to heart the change in mission statement from "law enforcement" to "national security"[1]. > The surveillance flights c…
It falls squarely within California v. Ciraolo, which says there is no expectation of privacy in anything visible from the air. It also common sense. Any shmuck with a general aviation license can take up an ultralight and see what he can see. So can the government.
Jones involved a trespass on the suspect's property. Totally different situation.
Re: FBI operating fleet of surveillance aircraft flying over US cities
#18Haven't they always done this? They've always used surveillance vans parked outside of suspect's houses with listening equipment, for example. They even used fake company names on the sides of the vans. Why should we be surprised they're using airplanes too?
I think HN and the public are extra sensitive to the concepts of "mass surveillance" by the government. A van parked out of a house doesn't seem like mass surveillance (even though it probably could be) but a plane "circling US cities" for some reason, raises these concerns to a higher level.
Also, the story is just ripe for the viral nature of the current news cycle: Mix in one part government entity (FBI), one part privacy (seeming mass surveillance) and one part secrecy (hidden corps) and you've got yourself a recipe for media success in 2015! In all seriousness, if the planes were "drones" you'd have a social media sharing grand slam.
Re: FBI operating fleet of surveillance aircraft flying over US cities
#19Wait until HN learns about satellite surveillance.
Re: FBI operating fleet of surveillance aircraft flying over US cities
#20> "Aircraft surveillance has become an indispensable intelligence collection and investigative technique which serves as a force multiplier to the ground teams," the FBI said in 2009 when it asked Congress for $5.1m for the program. Holy military state, Batman! It seems that the FBI has really taken to heart the change in mission statement from "law enforcement" to "national security"[1]. > The surveillance flights c…
It seems that the FBI has really taken to heart the change in mission statement from "law enforcement" to "national security After 9/11, that's what people seemed to demand.
That's not quite accurate, if you read the history of the FBI [1], they have been an intelligence agency as long as they've been a law enforcement one (pre-1950s, when it was called the Bureau of Investigation):
http://www.amazon.com/Enemies-History-FBI-Tim-Weiner/dp/0812...
They pride themselves in the idea hardly no one in the American public is aware of this fact.
9/11 made them focus their intelligence abilities on terrorism but those capabilities were hardly new to the FBI.