cellphonetracking
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The NSA has been listening to in-flight cell phone calls for years
By now, we're all well aware of how good the NSA is at spying on people's communications. But it's still a little surprising to learn that the NSA and the British Government Communication Headquarters (GCHQ) were able to listen in on people's in-flight phone calls as far back as 2005. Le Monde and The Intercept, which has previously broke many stories from Edward Snowden's info on the NSA, say that a secret program called "Southwinds" could gather all cellular communication from commercial air flights, including "voice communication, data, metadata and content of calls."
FBI surveillance planes flying over US cities linked to fake companies
Thanks to a report from The Associated Press, we now know more about the FBI's fleet of small surveillance planes that are flying over US cities. It's no secret the aircraft have been used for years to aid the bureau's efforts on the ground, but recent flights were equipped with cameras and cellphone-tracking technology. The FBI says mass surveillance isn't the purpose of the group of mostly Cessnas (like the one above), maintaining the gear is only used for ongoing investigations -- more often than not, without a warrant. The FBI isn't denying the existence of the aircraft, but the AP linked the fleet to at least 13 fake companies. Those companies coordinated over 100 flights in 11 states during a 30-day span starting in late April. According to the bureau, measures are taken for "operational security purposes" and for pilot safety. The FBI also says the phone-tracking tech is rarely used. However, as with its Stingray devices, the cellphones of nearby people are caught up in the net -- not just the intended target. [Image credit: AP Photo/Andrew Harnik]
Sixth Circuit rules that law enforcement doesn't need a warrant to track your phone
If you go through tin foil like there's no tomorrow (or because you think there's no tomorrow), you might want to head down the store. A recent 2 - 1 ruling by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has determined that law enforcement agencies can obtain cellphone location data, without the need for a warrant. The decision comes after a defendant in a drug-related case claimed protection from his phone's GPS location data being used under the Fourth Amendment. Judge John Rogers stated that the defendant didn't have a reasonable expectation of privacy for data given off by a voluntarily purchased phone, going on to state that if tools used in such crimes give off a trackable signal, police should be allowed to use it. Rogers likened it to the use of dogs tracking a scent, and criminals complaining they didn't know they were giving one off, or that the dog had picked it up. The use of technology in crime prevention, be it police tools, or that belonging to the greater population, has long been a source of complex discussion, and this latest development is unlikely to be the end of it. But for now, at least one guy is rueing his decision to get a better phone. Hit the source for the full case history.
Which companies are on the Carrier IQ bandwagon?
<div style="text-align:center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/update/carrier-iq-which-companies-have-the-smarts/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2011/12/watchingtheskyrockiet93743878438.jpg" style="border-width:0px;border-style:solid;margin:4px;"/></a></div> If you have the feeling somebody's watching you, it's not a bad idea to keep a close eye on your phone -- after all, it may be keeping one on <em>you</em>. The <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/01/carrier-iq-what-it-is-what-it-isnt-and-what-you-need-to/">more we find out</a> about Carrier IQ, the mysterious Mountain View company recently brought into the spotlight for its smartphone tracking software, the more curious we become about which carriers and manufacturers are playing along. Below the break you'll find a continuously updated list of the major players as they come clean about their involvement in the matter -- or lack thereof. We're working on collecting official statements from as many companies as we can, so stay tuned if you don't see the one you're looking for.
Malls halt cellphone-tracking experiment after complaint from Senator Schumer
As you may have heard last week, two US malls (the Promenade Temecula in Southern California and Short Pump Town Center in Richmond, Virginia) decided to conduct a little experiment this holiday shopping season, in which they employed some cellphone-tracking technology in an effort to learn more about individuals' shopping patterns. That technology came from a company called Path Intelligence, which has previously outfitted UK malls with the system, and assures folks that it only detects cellphone signals, not phone numbers or other personal data. Those assurances apparently weren't enough for US Senator Chuck Schumer, however, who sent letters to both the FTC and the CEO of Path Intelligence, complaining that the tracking was "simply unreasonable," and that a "shopper should not have to choose between the ability to be in touch with friends and family in case of emergency and safeguarding her privacy." While it's unclear if it's in direct response to the Senator's letter, the company that owns both malls has reportedly shut down the tracking systems after only a day of use, although it isn't commenting publicly on the matter just yet. You can find Senator Schumer's full statement at the source link below.
Texas judge says warrantless cellphone tracking violates Fourth Amendment, saga continues
Rev up the bureaucratic turbines, because a judge in Texas has determined that warrantless cellphone tracking is indeed unconstitutional. In a brief decision issued earlier this month, US District Judge Lynn N. Hughes of the Southern District of Texas argued that seizing cellphone records without a search warrant constitutes a violation of the Fourth Amendment. "The records would show the date, time, called number, and location of the telephone when the call was made," Judge Hughes wrote in the ruling, linked below. "These data are constitutionally protected from this intrusion." The decision comes in response to an earlier ruling issued last year by Magistrate Judge Stephen Smith, also of the Southern District of Texas. In that case, Judge Smith argued against unwarranted wiretapping on similarly constitutional grounds, pointing out that with today's tracking technology, every aspect of a suspect's life could be "imperceptibly captured, compiled, and retrieved from a digital dossier somewhere in a computer cloud." The federal government appealed Judge Smith's ruling on the grounds that the Fourth Amendment would not apply to cellphone tracking, because "a customer has no privacy interest in business records held by a cell phone provider, as they are not the customer's private papers." Judge Hughes' decision, however, effectively overrules this appeal. "When the government requests records from cellular services, data disclosing the location of the telephone at the time of particular calls may be acquired only by a warrant issued on probable cause," Judge Hughes wrote. "The standard under [today's law] is below that required by the Constitution." The law in question, of course, is the Stored Communications Act -- a law bundled under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986, which allows investigators to obtain electronic records without a warrant. This month's decision implicitly calls for this law to be reconsidered or revised, though it's certainly not the only ruling to challenge it, and it likely won't be the last, either.
SK Telecom hooks up Korean fishermen
Instead of tracking kids with cellphones, some folks in South Korea want to track those caught fish. That's right -- SK Telecom is enabling fishermen to keep tabs on the fish they're trolling for using a float-shaped ultrasonic transmitter tethered to a cellphone and a fishing line. The phone then shows the lowdown on just what's happening underseas, including water depth and fish location. Should be an interesting niche for SK Telecom to recruit the high-tech fisherman that was just waiting for a solution like this.
Netintelligence gives parents access to kids' cellphones
With improving photo and video capabilities being embedded into even entry-level mobiles these days -- and with YouTube going mobile as well -- parents need some sort of mobile content control if it's possible. A Scotland-based web security company called Netintelligence things it has the answer with its Netintelligence Mobile software, which lets parents set up "detailed parameters" on the handsets their kids use -- preferably to prevent lurid and inappropriate content from being downloaded and / or viewed. The thing is, though -- most kids can runs circles around their parents in terms of the features and usage of mobiles, so will parents even know how to use this software and its "detailed parameters?" In Europe, possibly so -- but in the U.S., we're not holding our breath. With mobile website addresses being able to be blocked and filtered, this sounds like a great piece of over-the-air software in concept.[Via Slashphone]
