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Stingray-Like Device Enables Blackmail In S. Africa
New submitter PalmAndy writes to note that: South African Police nabbed some criminals using an IMSI catcher device, similar to a Stingray, in Johannesburg. The article says that it was made in Israel and is worth $2 million. A follow-on story says that it was used for tender manipulation and blackmail of Government officials. A corrupt government official helped procure this device, which in theory is only sold to goverments."
A follow-on story says that it was used for tender manipulation
Ooh. That sounds kinda nice.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
Tender
A call for tenders, or invitation to tender (ITT) (often called tender for short) is a special procedure for generating competing offers from different bidders looking to obtain an award of business activity in works, supply, or service contracts. They are usually preceded by a pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ).
sounds like they used it to win government contracts and blackmail government officials that didn't play nice.
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
OK I know long cons need some investments, à la little fish to get a big fish, but a 2 million McGuffin just to maybe get something to blackmail is a bit far fetched IMHO.
"Stingray" is a trademark name for a device that is generically called IMSI-catcher. You wouldn't call a smartphone an "iPhone-like device".
This doesn't matter. Everything is wonderful now that the country is democratic with free and fair elections.
"chicle"? Sorry, that's a baffling word.
It's a large piece of gum, much as a "chiclet" is a small piece of gum.
How all that relates to terrorism is beyond me, though.
Some people don't believe in fairies. I don't believe in The Patriarchy.
Since this device was supposedly only available to governments (as if that somehow makes it OK), this is an interesting illustration of the objections in the US to teh plan to backdoor everyone's phone encryption. If the government has the ability, criminals will soon have it also.
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Are you dyslexic or something? Obviously, it was intended to be "cliche", it was close enough - 2 characters traded places, and the context was more than clear...
Do not project your racism on others
For security people scanning for these devices. I'm sure an "official" IMSI catcher detector will cost millions as well, however, there are free detection programs for rooted Android phones, like https://github.com/SecUpwN/And... and https://opensource.srlabs.de/p...
And that will not remain the first instance. Any anti-security device used by governments will sooner r later make it into the hands of criminals. There will also be homemade ones around, as building them is not that hard and a lot cheaper than 2 Million. The problem is that the encryption of the mobile phone networks sucks, because governments (like the US one) want it that way. Now they are endangering everybody with their stupidity.
This is very true but, it does beg the question of, why can they do and why can they do it?
We all know security through obscurity is no real security at all, especially in a wide spread system. So, nearly everyone is a walking broadcaster now, putting out trackable EM pulses....awesome. Isn't the elephant in the room really the implications of that?
So the Israeli's built it and said "governments only". Even if that worked, it means the devices can be made. $2 million makes sense over developing your own right? But if it wasn't available, if they can build it, so can others.
But in the end, many of its capabilities really come down to the fact that any notion of phone security has been crippled out of existance by regulations designed to ensure that the government can break all privacy...so we get to have nothing but a thin veneer of privacy and security to assuage their paranoia.
"I opened my eyes, and everything went dark again"
Do not project your racism on others
Says the guy who never drove down the wrong neighborhood in .. let's see ... oh yeah, ANY american inner city. Don't bring up slavery like it's some magical answer to everything either - everyone, and I do mean everybody has an ancestor that was a slave. And native americans, jews, and others have also faced terrible atrocities but they didn't embrace an anti-achievement gangsta crime culture because of it.
As long as you PC types refuse to even recognize these facts, let alone provide a good answer to them, you will never convince anybody that doesnt already agree with you. As it stands now, contact with actual blacks is still the leading cause of racism. A few blacks are exceptional because they don't embrace the toxic black crime thug culture, just like every group has exceptional individuals, but as a whole - those who care for their safety avoid majority-black areas with good reason. That is why "white flight" is a thing. It's not some weird aversion to melanin.
Cue the racists who will blame Israel for the actions of blacks.
But all blacks everywhere are perpetual victims so they cannot be held responsible for the choices they make. Treating them just like everybody else - by holding them responsible for what they do - would be racist, somehow. Also you should feel guilty for things that happened a century ago that you had no control over. For Justice!