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Big Brother & Your Cell Phone
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 3:05 pm
by Col Hogan
Most people probably know that a certain amount of tracking of your movement is possible by tracing your cell phone...but a Pennsylvania company has taken the ability up several notches...
Chances are you’ve never heard of TruePosition. If you’re an AT&T or T-Mobile customer, though, TruePosition may have heard of you. When you’re in danger, the company can tell the cops where you are, all without you knowing. And now, it’s starting to let governments around the world in on the search.
The Pennsylvania company, a holding of the Liberty Media giant that owns Sirius XM and the Atlanta Braves, provides location technology to those soon-to-be-merged carriers, so police, firefighters and medics can know where you’re at in an emergency. In the U.S., it locates over 60 million 911 calls annually. But very quietly, over the last four years, TruePosition has moved into the homeland security business — worldwide.
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/07 ... -tracking/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
This software can do things like detect if an unauthorized person enters a certain location...can trace who you talk to, and who they talk to, and who they talk to...
And they are selling it to countries that may not have the same protections we think we have here in the U.S. (Thank you, Patriot Act)...
That’s what worries advocates for foreign dissidents. “This seems to be integrated a little bit deeper and the operator is fully complicit in the situation. It makes it more difficult for activists, for sure,” says Nathan Freitas of the Guardian Project, which designs anonymity tools for mobile users.
So, consider who you call...because Big Brother may be tracking...
Re: Big Brother & Your Cell Phone
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 3:31 pm
by dbackjon
Or Fox News - you call, we listen in
Re: Big Brother & Your Cell Phone
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 3:36 pm
by 93henfan
I've never been very comfortable with the fact that the majority of computers sold now have a webcam and microphone embedded. How much of a leap is it to believe that they couldn't be turned on to snoop by certain elements when the computer is online?
In fact, there was a high profile case of this being done by a school district in suburban Philly:
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news ... payers.ars
Re: Big Brother & Your Cell Phone
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 4:50 pm
by Ivytalk
I live in a dead zone, anyway. Fuck them!
Re: Big Brother & Your Cell Phone
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 6:03 pm
by 93henfan
Ivytalk wrote:I live in a dead zone, anyway. Fuck them!
Hate to break it to you, Ivy, but the answer lies in the second sentence on the Wiki page for Bethel:
Bethel is a town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to 2010 Census Bureau figures, the population of the town is 171.
Re: Big Brother & Your Cell Phone
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 6:06 pm
by Ivytalk
93henfan wrote:Ivytalk wrote:I live in a dead zone, anyway. **** them!
Hate to break it to you, Ivy, but the answer lies in the second sentence on the Wiki page for Bethel:
Bethel is a town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to 2010 Census Bureau figures, the population of the town is 171.
In Wilmington, it's dead as dead can be.
Re: Big Brother & Your Cell Phone
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 6:25 pm
by CID1990
When I was with CPD I experienced the technology a few times. We used to do operations with the US Marshals and when we were tracking subjects who had active warrants, we would follow them by their cellphones. Col Hogan, I am sure you know about the function all cellphones have by which you can turn them into remote microphones. That's why you cannot take a cellphone into government buildings where classified is handled.
You are also spot on about the laptops. Here in Vietnam I always assume that I am being watched through the webcam on my computer and behave accordingly. (I print out my porn and then turn the computer off.)
Re: Big Brother & Your Cell Phone
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 6:54 pm
by youngterrier
ek, I actually read 1984 the other day and the similarities are kinda creepy, especially with the potential
Re: Big Brother & Your Cell Phone
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 7:13 pm
by 93henfan
youngterrier wrote:ek, I actually read 1984 the other day and the similarities are kinda creepy, especially with the potential
It wouldn't be so hard to put a camera and mic in every television, now would it?
Re: Big Brother & Your Cell Phone
Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2011 7:14 am
by 89Hen
93henfan wrote:youngterrier wrote:ek, I actually read 1984 the other day and the similarities are kinda creepy, especially with the potential
It wouldn't be so hard to put a camera and mic in every television, now would it?
There already is. You of all people should know Spanos, Jr.
Re: Big Brother & Your Cell Phone
Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2011 7:28 am
by OSBF
CID1990 wrote:
You are also spot on about the laptops. Here in Vietnam I always assume that I am being watched through the webcam on my computer and behave accordingly. (I print out my porn and then turn the computer off.)
We have docking stations with real keyboards and monitors. The lid to the laptop is always closed.
Re: Big Brother & Your Cell Phone
Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2011 8:35 am
by ASUG8
My first thought before reading this was "just turn off the GPS" but it doesn't use that. Interesting.......
Did anybody else just hear helicopters, or is it just me?
Re: Big Brother & Your Cell Phone
Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2011 8:36 am
by grizzaholic
ASUG8 wrote:My first thought before reading this was "just turn off the GPS" but it doesn't use that. Interesting.......
Did anybody else just hear helicopters, or is it just me?
Spanos hears them daily.
Re: Big Brother & Your Cell Phone
Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2011 8:52 am
by ALPHAGRIZ1
Ivytalk wrote:I live in a dead zone, anyway. Fuck them!
Yeah, I have AT&T as well.........................
Re: Big Brother & Your Cell Phone
Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2011 10:37 am
by 93henfan
89Hen wrote:93henfan wrote:
It wouldn't be so hard to put a camera and mic in every television, now would it?
There already is. You of all people should know Spanos, Jr.
Keep talking. I'll be your neighbor next month.
