FBI taps cell phone mic as eavesdropping tool

[guruoo]

"A mobile sitting on the desk of a politician or businessman can act
as a powerful, undetectable bug," "enabling them to be activated at
a later date to pick up sounds even when the receiver is down."


FBI taps cell phone mic as eavesdropping tool
By Declan McCullagh, and Anne Broache, CNET News.com
Published on ZDNet News: December 1, 2006, 2:20 PM PT

The FBI appears to have begun using a novel form of electronic surveillance in criminal investigations: remotely activating a mobile phone's microphone and using it to eavesdrop on nearby conversations.

The technique is called a "roving bug," and was approved by top U.S. Department of Justice officials for use against members of a New York organized crime family who were wary of conventional surveillance techniques such as tailing a suspect or wiretapping him.
<snip>
The surveillance technique came to light in an opinion published this week by U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan. He ruled that the "roving bug" was legal because federal wiretapping law is broad enough to permit eavesdropping even of conversations that take place near a suspect's cell phone.

Kaplan's opinion said that the eavesdropping technique "functioned whether the phone was powered on or off." Some handsets can't be fully powered down without removing the battery; for instance, some Nokia models will wake up when turned off if an alarm is set.
<snip>
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1035_22-6140191.html

[lvx35]

1. cellphones are mobile surveillance devices.

Don't forget they track your position, as well.

[ContraBass Black]

2. That's not new.

They already do it with OnStar equipped cars.