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UK Police Won't Comment On The Tracking of People's Phone Calls
Daniel_Stuckey writes You've maybe heard a bit about Stingray. Over the past couple of years, it has emerged that police forces in the US have been using the powerful surveillance tool, which tricks phones into connecting to a dragnet, to track mobile devices, and intercept calls and text messages. Meanwhile, the London Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) continue to remain tight lipped about their use of the technology, leaving citizens in the dark on what privacy protections, if any, are in place for those who may get swept up by the broad surveillance techniques.
'nuff said.
Buck Feta. You know what to do.
...leaving citizens in the dark on what privacy protections, if any, are in place...
I'll give you a hint, there aren't any.
Once you've established that it's illegal, why are you expecting legal protections to apply to its use? That's like torturing people with doctors. Ok, bad example.
'nough said.
-- I ignore anonymous replies to my comments and postings.
There is an judicial organisation with responsibility for oversight of this. The question is whether they are doing their job, and whether the penalties for abuse are sufficient. Given that the answer to both is probably 'no', we clearly do have a problem, but it's too simple to say it is 'extra-judicial'.
Meanwhile, the London Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) continue to remain tight lipped about their use of the technology,
perhaps they don't want to admit that they don't know how to work the damned thing. Truncheons and battering rams fine, but computers are a little tricky
The European Court of Human Rights recently ruled that collecting and storing IP addresses, as mandated by a related directive, is illegal. This is considered to be collecting evidence of a possible crime that may or may not happen in the future and before the person is even a suspect. The same most likely applies to phone records to a certain extent, too. I'm curious to see how this plays out in the next few years.
As each cell has a CID (Cell ID) you can get software which will display this, and other, information.
If you know what the CID should be for a specific area then you can restrict your phone use if you don't recognise the CID.
eg. 2 phones - one a burner you NEVER use, but is always on so you can track the CID,
Your main phone you only switch on when you trust the CID of the cell you're in to make the calls.
A public database of Cell ID - http://opencellid.org/ Its a little out on some of its info, but its a good starting point.
Ok, let me spell it out for you:
- No privacy protection whatsoever. If you take nude pictures, they will be shared around or if you leave your phone on during sex they will be listening.
- No need for reasonable suspicion to do this to you, a whim is enough.
- And no accountability at all on their side.
Clear?
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
no offense, but your country and ours (US) is a load of bullshit, here we have "secretive courts" which of course the Supreme Court (for one reason or another) refuse to announce as illegal? Citizens who don't know or care because they are to obsessed over their status in life based on material goods, or because one or both (if you have a "spouse") have to work ridiculous hours at your jobs (regardless of educational status).
I know about this bullshit, but what I'm I going to do? Rise up and become a leader to another handful of people that are going to care? Lets say I was able to become someone who convinced a majority to care, you know the-powers-that-be would ruin me and the movement as terrorists, hell with what they can do they can just upload child porn on my computer then say I downloaded it! Thats really the whole point of all this "National Security" bullshit, to control people!
Here's the answer.
*Plays loop of loud, sarcastic laughter*
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
Without the minimum levels of oversight, procedure and permanent documentation that come with, say, having a warrant done, All of that evidence can *also* just appear on those same whims.
At that point having the full hammer of the law strike down upon you could be as simple as your ex wife's cousin's girlfriend hearing just now about your divorce and thinking "wow, what an asshole. Oh hey I got 5 minutes anyways..." you (now) tax-evading liberal-voting pedophile.
Here in England we dont do freedom anymore, it was far more important what was on the TV or what football was on,
Free speech died. was nice while it lasted though. Opression is here !
Every country in the world right now is pretending they don't take part in the evil spying/surveillance schemes the US uses. Sure the UK is the most (video)surveilled country on the planet, but they'd never stoop so low as to listen in on a phone call.
I run along the Thames Embankment (London Bridge to Westminster via St Paul's Cathedral and back) at lunch time and during the St Paul's Protest Camp my smartphone would misbehave when I ran past it. It would also need a reboot on my return for it to make/receive calls again. Never happened anywhere else or at anytime else. 2+2 equals buggy Stringray deployment?