is this true

[JamesB]

I just came across this tonight and have not looked into to a whole lot.

now lets keep the political banter away and just talk about if this is true and or feasible.

http://www.ktre.com/Global/story.asp?S=5777429&nav=2FH5

James

[TxDavid]

I know that my cell phone issued by my company has a GPS in it, as most phones do, and they can track my location by it as long as my phone is on. As far as the FBI being able to do that, I think it's possible. I work with computers and we remotely access them all the time. The FCC could give the FBI the ID that the phone operates under. The telephone number is triangulated and the RAM software could be altered. I vote yes it is possible.

[Chief]

Watch the movie 1984 and use your imagination.

I do not trust the government because I was a spectator and a victim to some of their actions.

Better Yet let's contact the MYTHBUSTERS. I love their show!!

Gordon

[DEMDeepEllumMusic]

I do know that phones made over the last couple years have GPS built into them, helps 911 systems find where you are, and that even when a phone is "turned off" it is still really on in some cases-juice running to it-but I think in this case these phones were actually active just not being used. So a phone that is "on" could possible be turned on by an outside program that turns it into a listening device without the owner being aware that it is listening, don't know how they could activate the system if the phone is turned off or powered down but it may be possible.

Makes you wonder, or if your paranoid you would want to buy a pouch that it would slip into that would muffle any sounds that it picked up.

[markperez]

Sure it is true. Just with almost any eletronic device now when you turn it off it really isn't turned off it is more or less in stand by mode. I remember reading a few years back that in some phone that even if you turn your phone off that the service provider could send signals to ring your phone. As the article said the only way to stop this is to remove the power source.

[Chief]

Faraday Box or Bag ? ( spelling may be wrong )

Put your in it when you want real privacy.

Gordon

[Gordon]

I've been one of the architects on several recent cell phone designs. I didn't work with the final software though.

Certainly GPS receivers have been part of the units for a while. Positional information based on cell location and triangulation has also been possible for years prior to that.

The devices themselves are by design capable of all of the features mentioned in the article - they are after all designed to pick up and transmit audio. There is no reason why software couldn't be run on them that would allow remote access and listening like this. (Consider a device in 'speakerphone' mode)

Remote start up and listening are certainly possible too when the phone is on. I'm more skeptical of the notion that switching the phone off doesn't stop this - the radio is off in stand-by mode. Though again, the phone could be modified to change the behavior in 'off' mode to make it appear to be disabled while it is still on - battery drain would be higher though.

But all of the features are implemented in software so could be easily changed as described. Nothing technical to stop this at all. Remote download of new software has also been available for a while - both user pull and server pushed.

[JamesB]

being in the wireless industry this sorta came to a shock to me as to the remote "listening"

Before GPS chips were put into cell phones we could find any cell phone that was powered on based off some type of triangulation using the normal communications the phone uses to talk to the cell towers.

I have actually helped HPD, Vice the Secrete Service and the FBI, well I did not really help the FBI, I just made coffee for the guy, we were not allowed to talk to him unless he asked us a question, he had some interesting looking "breif case" and just sat in our control room messing with buttons and switches in side the "brief case" he did not hook up to any of our terminals or data lines. When he went to the bath room we all had to exit the building so we would not look into his "brief case".
I guess he just needed to be in close proximity to our switch to collect the data he needed. This was back in 1994 to 1997. so im sure their wiz bang techno toys are a lot better now.

James

[Gordon]

Originally Posted by JamesB

being in the wireless industry this sorta came to a shock to me as to the remote "listening"

I guess I'm not sure why it would be a shock. Remote listening is half of what a phone does after all. All that changes here is how the phone connects and who gets to connect it.

If the phone rings or not is software controlled.
if the end user answers the phone or not is software controlled.

Any visual indication that the phone is on is software controlled.

Easy to change, technically.

Morally, ethically & legally are whole other worlds, but the technical issues are trivial.

[Steelsun]

Cell phones, even old ones without GPS, can be 'pinged' by law enforcement and a location found for them (triangulation via cell towers).
This is often allowed on a non-warrant / non-tap basis by courts since they are not actually listening into your phone.

There were some unscrupolous people also offering this service to the public for awhile for about $100 a pop, but many of them were scamming the public and not really doing it since it involves heavy cooperation of the cell service provider.

[JamesB]

Originally Posted by Gordon

I guess I'm not sure why it would be a shock. Remote listening is half of what a phone does after all. All that changes here is how the phone connects and who gets to connect it.

If the phone rings or not is software controlled.
if the end user answers the phone or not is software controlled.

Any visual indication that the phone is on is software controlled.

Easy to change, technically.

Morally, ethically & legally are whole other worlds, but the technical issues are trivial.

the part that shoked me is the ability for someone to remotely operate your device with out your knowledge and listen in to what is going on. Well not really shocked, just something I never thought of before to do on a cell phone.

James

[adirty1]

Originally Posted by JamesB

the part that shoked me is the ability for someone to remotely operate your device with out your knowledge and listen in to what is going on. Well not really shocked, just something I never thought of before to do on a cell phone.

James

operating you devices without your knowledge happens all the time. if you could ever see the log on your cable box or cable modem you would shocked.

[Gordon]

Originally Posted by JamesB

the part that shoked me is the ability for someone to remotely operate your device with out your knowledge and listen in to what is going on. Well not really shocked, just something I never thought of before to do on a cell phone.

James

Yup, technically simple (your phone does plenty of stuff all the time without your involvment - connecting to cells, communicating status, updating software etc)

Morally, ethically, legally are maybe more problematic, but it is technically simple.

[ShaneKislack]

Well if it's true I wonder what kind of plan they are on. I'm not going to let them listen and me be the only one to pay the federal usage surcharge. The better have as many dropped calls as me too!

[JamesB]

Originally Posted by ShaneKislack

Well if it's true I wonder what kind of plan they are on. I'm not going to let them listen and me be the only one to pay the federal usage surcharge. The better have as many dropped calls as me too!

the plan is being on the "of interest" list by the authorities. If they ever decide they want to listen to me, they must really be board.

James