Let's say they're flying a Cesna 1,500 feet over a metro area, that could easily be millions of cellphone connections. A regular cell tower can't handle that many. I'm wondering how this could work.
Americans’ Cellphones Targeted in Secret U.S. Spy Program
21–30 of 73 posts
Re: Americans’ Cellphones Targeted in Secret U.S. Spy Program
#22A $9,000 per machine. Is it possible for a civilian to purchase it?
Knowing this is unconstitutional and if there are no government laws (shouldn't be right?) forbidding you from purchasing it, can I sue them if they refuse to sell me one?
Correct me if I'm wrong but putting this machine around Wall Street (given you know how to sell and buy stocks) would probably get you $9k back in less than a day, hm?
I still wonder though, if cellphones technology is secure and traffic encrypted, then how come can they listen to it? Wouldn't it be that Verizon or Apple had to give them some sort of keys to open the traffic and read it? (serious question)
Re: Americans’ Cellphones Targeted in Secret U.S. Spy Program
#23A $9,000 per machine. Is it possible for a civilian to purchase it? Knowing this is unconstitutional and if there are no government laws (shouldn't be right?) forbidding you from purchasing it, can I sue them if they refuse to sell me one? Correct me if I'm wrong but putting this machine around Wall Street (given you know how to sell and buy stocks) would probably get you $9k back in less than a day, hm? I still wond…
That's incorrect.
It's illegal for you to do something like this. Very illegal. They would likely arrest you for attempting to purchase one, even if you had done nothing wrong. You could try to sue them, but then you can do that at any time; trying is never the problem, the consequences are.
It's not a situation where they were granted permission to do it, in a Constitutionally friendly sort of way.
These are extra-legal programs, where nobody will get in trouble regardless of the context, and they're simply saying: just try to stop us.
Re: Americans’ Cellphones Targeted in Secret U.S. Spy Program
#24Isn't it time Google and Apple build some protections inside Android and iOS against this? Maybe do something like what these guys did, but I'm sure they can come up with even more comprehensive protections: http://www.wired.com/2014/09/cryptophone-firewall-identifies...
Given the nature of the sniffing, the best offering would probably be "turn off cell antenna, use wifi." Given the above, I wonder if the airplanes are also listening to other stuff past cellular.
with T-mobile and iOS, I have wifi calling. I would not be opposed if it turned off the cell antenna whenever I could instead make and receive calls over wifi.
Re: Americans’ Cellphones Targeted in Secret U.S. Spy Program
#25In all seriousness, when police circumvent the existing legal methods for gaining access to information, and when they spy on people without warrants, why should the "normal channels" be left open?
Isn't it about time to repeal things like CALEA, or to accept that the cost of having a system like this is that it should be the only system?
"But we're afraid bad guys would act like they live in a surveillance state if they actually knew they lived in a surveillance state!" I... I just don't know how to understand that mindset.
I know there are evil criminals in the world, and I'll bet that having power and dominion over everyone is a fun trip, but it's also corrosive to what the US has always pretended to be.
Re: Americans’ Cellphones Targeted in Secret U.S. Spy Program
#26Here are some excerpts from the WSJ paywalled article: Cellphones are programmed to connect automatically to the strongest cell tower signal. The device being used by the U.S. Marshals Service identifies itself as having the closest, strongest signal, even though it doesn’t, and forces all the phones that can detect its signal to send in their unique registration information. Even having encryption on one’s phone, su…
Resistance is futile, you have been assimilated.
Re: Americans’ Cellphones Targeted in Secret U.S. Spy Program
#27Isn't it time Google and Apple build some protections inside Android and iOS against this? Maybe do something like what these guys did, but I'm sure they can come up with even more comprehensive protections: http://www.wired.com/2014/09/cryptophone-firewall-identifies...
The application OS is basically irrelevant when talking about cell communications. They'd have to design their own boards to even have a chance at isolating the "baseband" processor - to say nothing of controlling its behavior, especially as carriers want to keep its workings secret for "security" Most phones (anything CDMA, or most everything LTE) use a Qualcomm SOC, with both the baseband and application processor…
Can you provide some technical documentation that supports your assertion that the baseband and the application processor are sharing memory space? I thought they use different processors that are supporting essentially independent operating systems.
Re: Americans’ Cellphones Targeted in Secret U.S. Spy Program
#28Let's say they're flying a Cesna 1,500 feet over a metro area, that could easily be millions of cellphone connections. A regular cell tower can't handle that many. I'm wondering how this could work.
You don't have to transmit voice or data, just capture and release IMSI ID'S. The capacity is there.
Re: Americans’ Cellphones Targeted in Secret U.S. Spy Program
#29A $9,000 per machine. Is it possible for a civilian to purchase it? Knowing this is unconstitutional and if there are no government laws (shouldn't be right?) forbidding you from purchasing it, can I sue them if they refuse to sell me one? Correct me if I'm wrong but putting this machine around Wall Street (given you know how to sell and buy stocks) would probably get you $9k back in less than a day, hm? I still wond…
That's incorrect. It's illegal for you to do something like this. Very illegal. They would likely arrest you for attempting to purchase one, even if you had done nothing wrong. You could try to sue them, but then you can do that at any time; trying is never the problem, the consequences are. It's not a situation where they were granted permission to do it, in a Constitutionally friendly sort of way. These are extra-l…
Why is receiving data openly transmitted on the airwaves illegal?
Re: Americans’ Cellphones Targeted in Secret U.S. Spy Program
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's incorrect. It's illegal for you to do something like this. Very illegal. They would likely arrest you for attempting to purchase one, even if you had done nothing wrong. You could try to sue them, but then you can do that at any time; trying is never the problem, the consequences are. It's not a situation where they were granted permission to do it, in a Constitutionally friendly sort of way. These are extra-l…
Why is receiving data openly transmitted on the airwaves illegal?
Ask Google about their Street View wardriving project... an appeals court ruled that it violated the Wiretap Act.