Eric Holder, his Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Obama administration want to expand existing CALEA laws to require all services that enable communications including encrypted e-mail transmitters like BlackBerry, social networking Web sites like Facebook and software that allows direct “peer to peer” messaging like Skype to be technically capable of complying if served with a wiretap order. The mandate would include being able to intercept and unscramble encrypted messages.Today with warrant-less wiretaps, this means the Feds could be watching in and listening in to your connected devices, including your TV, DVD Player, Laptop, On-Star, iPad, Cellphone and more. You name it, if they can get to it, they can listen in to watch and listen to your activities remotely.
You think your laptop is asleep? How do you know the camera is not monitoring you as you undress, booger or scratch your behind? Your TV has a camera or a microphone? Then your living room or bedroom is available to the FEDS AND to hackers who will sell your private intimate acts online.
Do you have a device with GPS? Do you think when it is turned off, it is really turned off?
Big Brother is here. Your Liberty and Privacy is forfeit. Be aware. Just be aware.
There are ways to mitigate some of this.
ReplyDeleteIf your new TV is "Internet Capable", don't put it on your network.
Put a piece of opaque tape over the camera lens.
Pull the battery from your laptop.
Use only the cheapest prepaid cellphones you can find.
I agree, though, that the 4th amendment has been neutered, along with most of the others in our Bill of Rights.
Even when a computer/smartphone/laptop is unpowered there is residual energy left inside the capacitors that may be used to power the GPS transmitter for a short time (if certain rumors out there that the government can remotely boot the device are true: I cannot verify this). After removing the battery hold the power button for five seconds to drain the capacitors.
ReplyDeleteThe other alternative is to place it in a conductive container which will act as a faraday cage (this will not protect against EMP unless it is a *nested* faraday cage with alternative layers of conductive and non-conductive material)
I forgot: newer phones and tablet PCs do not even have a removable battery. So wrapping it is pretty much the only option.
DeleteNothing made in a cellphone has a "GPS Transmitter".
ReplyDeleteThe GPS is a receive-only device, while the cellphone does the transmitting.
And the caps will drain very rapidly after the battery is pulled. They most certainly would not hold enough charge to boot the device and get it on the network, let alone broadcast it's position.
Non-removable batteries are a good point you bring up. In that case just turn it off, and wrap it with aluminum foil.
Keep in mind, though, that the first time you unwrap it and power it up, and it goes looking for a network to connect to, you're hosed.
Good sound tech points there Sir!
ReplyDeleteYour cell phone cannot be tracked, and its GPS receiver will not work, if you wrap the phone in aluminum foil when it is not in use. This forms a faraday cage (look it up) or a complete electrostatic shield, through which radio signals cannot travel. Prove it to yourself: Take a portable FM radio, tune it to a strong local station, turn up the volume, wrap it with newspaper to keep the foil off the antenna, then wrap it in foil, and the radio will pick up nothing. While it is true that your location will be discovered, the next time you use the phone, at least you can't be followed around in the meantime, and your new location will be a surprise to everyone.
ReplyDelete