… but just so you’ll know.
Some of those “let’s find a lame excuse to stop this vehicle so we can search for drugs or drug money” stops are actually the product of a secret spy program. Connection between DEA and NSA still unknown. Because the DEA gives orders (or perhaps takes orders) to keep all this under wraps — even from defense lawyers and sometimes even from their friends the persecutors. Hm. Whatever happened to the right to confront your accuser — your actual accuser — in court?
The Wall Street Journal reports that, among other nice things, the FBI may be able to activate the microphone on your smartphone or laptop and use it to spy on you.
The FBI actually admitted to spying through phone microphones in a court case back in 2006. Note that the same technique works just as well for a camera as for a microphone.
The good news is that there’s nothing the FBI can do about the laws of physics, so if they’re spying on someone through a phone it can be detected by a sudden drop in battery life and increase in temperature.
If memory serves, the FBI also got sued by OnStar for using their system to monitor conversations in vehicles so equipped.
http://news.cnet.com/Court-to-FBI-No-spying-on-in-car-computers/2100-1029_3-5109435.html
Not to evoke more paranoia? Too late. Nothing could evoke more paranoia then I’m feeling.
“The good news is that there’s nothing the FBI can do about the laws of physics, so if they’re spying on someone through a phone it can be detected by a sudden drop in battery life and increase in temperature”
Can’t tell if I’ve got a messed up phone that’s been through hell or they’re watching and listening to every moment of my life.
If they are, they deserve what they hear…
Thought the WSJ was supposed to report on new stuff and development? Listening in on remote electronics has already been old stuff since before 2006.
What we need is some kind of Faraday cage for the phones we carry.
[What we need is some kind of Faraday cage for the phones we carry.]
Like a stainless steel mesh wallet to hide those magnetic strips & RFID chips in our cards? Only it would be a force field of jamming energy around us and our personal electronics… like becoming invisible for certain communications – it could be turned on/off at will.
Encrypted packets could be sent safely and undetected through that “thunder cloud” and be “invisible” to be read and responded to later.
PPV, does such a thing actually exist or are you simply calling for its invention?
Someone has to imagine things… before someone else figures out how to do it. A thankless job, but someone’s gotta do it! LOL.
I don’t know enough to even know if it’s possible.
Thanks for the links to these two articles, Claire. They are truly useful, and just serve to reemphasize the point that the enemy rebel government doesn’t even play by its own rules, so why should we?
I was afraid you’d say that. Sigh. If someone ever invents such a thing please sign me up for one.
Kyle — I apologize. About five of your comments on different posts went into the spam filter this morning and last night. Just fished them all out! Sorry.
Hey, no problem, Claire. Stuff like that happens, it’s not your fault. Besides, I like you too much. 😉