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Speculation On Large-Scale Phone Location Snooping

An anonymous reader recommends a speculative blog entry by Chris Soghoian up on CNet. Soghoian makes a convincing case that the NSA could be using loopholes in the law to gather real-time location information on the mobile phones of millions of people. There is no hard evidence that this is happening, but the blog post sheds light on the dense undergrowth of companies populating the wireless space that could be easy pickings for a National Security Letter with a gag order attached. "While these household names of the telecom industry [AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint] almost certainly helped the government to illegally snoop on their customers, statements by a number of legal experts suggest that collaboration with the NSA may run far deeper into the wireless phone industry. With over 3,000 wireless companies operating in the United States, the majority of industry-aided snooping likely occurs under the radar, with the dirty work being handled by companies that most consumers have never heard of."

3 of 234 comments (clear)

  1. This is why I keep my phone powered off.... by w0mprat · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... with the battery out, until I need it. I also keep a roll of aluminum foil with me in case I need to make a hat.

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  2. Wife by bastafidli · · Score: 5, Funny

    As long as my wife doesn't know where I am then who cares about the government.

  3. Thanks, Apple! by superdan2k · · Score: 4, Funny

    With the spotty performance of the GPS on my 3G iPhone, I don't need to worry about the NSA ever finding me!

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