Even when your cell's off, the heat may be on

[NVMojo]

It should come as no surprise that cell phone calls may be tapped by law enforcement.

But authorities also can eavesdrop on mobile phones, even when the devices are not making calls.

The FBI converted the Nextel cell phones of two alleged New York mobsters into "roving bugs" -- microphones that relayed conversations when the phones seemed to be inactive, according to recent court documents.

Authorities won't reveal how they did this. But a counter-surveillance expert says Nextel, Motorola Razr and Samsung 900 series cell phones can be reprogrammed over the air, using methods meant for delivering upgrades and maintenance. It's called "flashing the firmware," said James M. Atkinson, a consultant for the Granite Island Group in Massachusetts.

"These are very powerful phones, but all that power comes with a price. By allowing ring tones and stock quotes and all this other stuff, you also give someone a way to get into your phones," Atkinson said.

Privacy advocates call such use of roving bugs intrusive and illegal. Web cams and microphones on home computers soon may be fair game for remote-control gumshoes, too, they fear.

more...

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-10/1165815713294600.xml&coll=1

[Whoa_Nelly]

1. Orwell had no idea just how big Big Brother could get....

and will get...

[valerief]

2. Yeah, it's time we started calling him Big Brotherfu*ker. nt

[regnaD kciN]

3. There's something to be said for hanging on to your old cell phone...

...instead of upgrading to a new model with all the bells and whistles.

I don't think there's any way that my circa-2002 Sanyo could be remotely converted into a bug.

[sakabatou]

4. I always ask for the bare-bones models.

[Dean Martin]

5. so that doesn't mean when the cell phone is off

it means when it's on and not being used. They couldn't tap it when it's actually powered off.

[LeVeL_HeAdEd_OnE]

6. Interesting piece of...

news that will not effect 99.999999% of us.

[Shyanne]

7. Exactly

I have yet to figure out why there are those that thing the fedgov actually gives a rats ass what you or I say on the phone, or surf for on the net. I swear I expect to see black helicopters swoop down and start taking people from what I have read lately.

sheesh people, get a grip.