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Protect Your Cell Phone from Prying Eyes in 2012
Cell phone monitoring is a big issue, and scandals like News of the World and CarrierIQ reveal how pervasive the issue is, and how easily it is for people and companies to monitor cell phones.
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange warned cell phone users of this problem earlier this month when he released details of companies that are selling information they obtain through cell phone monitoring. According to Assange, more than 150 companies around the world have the ability to use cell phones as tracking devices to intercept messages and to listen to calls.
Don’t think it’s true and that Assange is just a nutcase? Then consider that Verizon Wireless, the largest cellular carrier in the U.S., is already monitoring cell phones and selling the information. In October, Verizon enrolled its entire customer base into its program to track customer usage and location, as well as browsing data, demographic info, and app usage. Customers can get out of all this by opting out through their account online. Although Verizon says that it’s only collecting and selling the information for marketing purposes, many people just don’t want their information to be tracked on their cell phones at all.
It’s highly unlikely that anyone will stop using a cell phone all together. People may not like to be tracked, but will probably not give up the conveniences of a cell phone. Fortunately, there’s another way to avoid cell phone monitoring. It’s called a virtual private network, or a VPN.
A VPN fully encrypts any data that’s sent over its network. Any program or code that tries to get into track or to capture that data, like the websites you browse or the terms you search, will only get encrypted data in return. Or, the VPN will consider it a Trojan and block it entirely. This means that on a VPN, you can still use your Verizon phone, or any cell phone, and make all the calls you want, but your info won’t be able to be tracked and won’t be sold or monitored by other companies. A VPN from vpn4all.com or ocshield.com will keep your browsing data, password data, and emails secure.
Cell phone monitoring is a very real issue, and is something that affects anyone with a cell phone and/or another mobile device. Data security is not something that should be taken lightly, and should be enforced on more than just your Facebook account. Take the initiative on your data security by setting up a VPN.
45 Comments so far
Show AllAs our rulers listen to these conversations and find out just how unpopular they really are....they will turn violent and paranoid (like endless wars and assassinations aren't, right?). Many of these clowns still see themselves as beloved, like Obama, so he will probably become even more brutal.
"A VPN from vpn4all.com or ocshield.com will keep your browsing data, password data, and emails secure..."
The mobile phone tracking software this article refers to, is made by a company named "Carrier IQ", and has the ability to capture text typed, before HTTPS encryption. I seriously doubt that VPN connection will provide protection against such deeply embedded software. There needs to be some reliable independent proof to back your claims sir.
I had the same thought. A VPN on a computer will protect the transmission over the Internet at all the routers etc. but if the snooping software is at either end i.e. before it is encrypted and sent or after it is decrypted at receiving end then it is useless.
I don't know enough about cell phones to comment.
And to be clear, Ron Paul fully supports this spying on citizens, as long as it is being done by a private corporation or individual, not the government.
I notice at least some of his supporters have no problem stalking others online, especially if they challenge their candidate. Some tweeters are now talking about that too. How they've been insulted and harassed if they're supporting Obama. (Not that I'm big on Obama at this point, sigh, but I wouldn't beat people up about it.) He was also recently linked to "stormfront" in an article with the NYT, and as we all well know, *their* followers are well known for having no respect for the rights of others, either.
Co-ordinates on your phone could link you to terrorism be secret grounds for indefinite detention.
Let's replace Obama with Rocky Anderson of the Justice Party. Rocky Anderson is our next FDR. If Obama winds up serving another term, we are doomed.
If it's all the same with you, I'd rather vote for Curly Queue for president. At least, he has the same chances of winning as Rocky Anderson.
I'd rather use the Tor Onion network -- which is free, than pay someone who might still be de-encrypting my data (article recommends paid services: vpn4all.com or ocshield.com -- at about $100-140/yr), and then selling it anyway (doubly profiting from my understandable paranoia).
Hopefully, enough people will voluntarily support the TOR system, and the throughput and services can grow to provide negligible disruption and restrictions in throughput and operation.
It's very good that vpn4all uses open source software, but I wonder if their encryption is entirely w/o any hidden backdoors, when some still consider that the NSA designed such in decades ago. I sure hope that wikileaks level of encryption is better than that, but being able to read the code and papers about such, in no manner means that one understands what's happening. I have faith that whatever level of encryption exists, it can always be improved upon -- and far batter that that is controlled by the open source community than the NSA.
The question is, how much does the NSA infiltrate the open source community to it's own ends and means ?
why do you think the spooks (e.g., nsa) are smarter than the free software community?
do you know about the Blaster incident (2004)?
do you know what happened to citibank after they froze assange's funds?
do you know about darknet?
will you research this stuff and post your impressions here?
What Julian needs to do is put on his thinking cap, and design a technology for his new enterprise: "Who Watches the Watchers? We do." If we help him, he can do it.
An advantage is that, because Mr. Assange is not a member of the U.S. Armed Forces, no U.S. Marine gets to look at his penis.
Trylon
The article here is misleading in that VPN might be an encryption solution for cell phones only when one is routing phone traffic through an internet-connected router, such as a home router. If you're out in the world using the cell carrier's towers, VPN doesn't come into play - you're completely at the mercy of the owners there.
Misleading ?
Perhaps, you might just consider bothering to investigate about the actual product offers of mobile encryption services, before proselytizing your ignorance, misleading others so empathetically ?
See http://www.ocshield.com/checkout/index
lol at your ignorance. If you bothered reading about the features... "The only Mobile Internet Security solution available to users of Smart Phones and Tablet PCs. OC Shield Encrypted Mobile Internet Encrypts your mobile Emails, VOIP, IM, browsing and all online data transmissions from and to your Mobile Device. OC Shield prevents the interception of mobile data in transit, internet communications, credit card and banking details and stops Identity theft." So it preforms well when working online, but most people I assume use it to talk and call others - which is what the poster wary was talking about (I would think - it's what I sorta had in mind myself). So if you wanna use your expensive mobile phone/computer in a subway to buy clothes, congrats - it's secure - but all the other information about who you are, how you bought it, where you bought it from, where you are standing etc. is all still available. Secures emails for you lololol. Ignorance.
nevermored has the most accurate statement here. See the FAQ on:
OCShield FAQ
Regular carrier phone calls and SMS can't be encrypted with VPN, and neither can the data stored on your phone (which carriers seem to have many ways of getting at); but you can encrypt mobile internet traffic with a VPN.
Using a mobile VPN also cannot stop your location, and probably other parameters, from being tracked, if you're connecting to a cell tower.
He definitively stated an untruth as if true.
Of course there are limitations to VPN, but it certainly IS NOT only for use with a home router as he arrogantly stipulated.
That is what my post dealt with, and what I stated is factually and entirely correct.
Your follow-on cyber bullying is a typical approach to attempt to invalidate those of us who will not suffer fools (nor deception) willingly.
NO one here in this community appreciates snide personal attacks and ad hominem attempts to invalidate and ridicule others, as that directly opposes free expression and open discussions.
It's now clear what side of that issue that you are (both) on.
Thanks for demonstrating, exactly what goes for sincerity for you.
The carriers still know you are at X location at X time and busy doing X for Y period of minutes, this is information they can use or sell on, govt statistical data-miners will want this information no matter they might not know what you were doing.
lololol. Douchery 101: when called out for being a moron while you yourself were calling someone a moron, act like anyone and/or everyone but you started the insults.
Hmmm
I would like to know when and where Ron Paul has ever stated that he supports spying on citizens by corporations. Please enlighten us and give us a link. As far as I know Ron Paul does NOT support spying on citizens by anyone without express permission by the individual.
I don't know his stand but it's possible that he would, not support this but admit corporations can do this based on the Constitution. A corporate personhood amendment would take care of that.
But, the important thing is that corporations can't send in the Marines and ship you off to Guantanamo for supporting animal rights activists, ELF, or anti-war protestors, all of whom have been called terrorists or terrost sympathizers by our gov't.
---"But, the important thing is that corporations can't send in the Marines and ship you off to Guantanamo for supporting animal rights activists, ELF"----,br>
No, but they can send hired Pinkerton goons to beat you up, becasue animal rights activists and ELF are violating the corporation's private property rights.
PLEASE learn the history of the last time we tried Ron Paul's "libertarianism".
Triple post
Triple post!!
Yes but you will be compelled to give permission, or not have a cell phone at all bcause it will be SOP for every carrier. This is similar to another even worse aspect of the "freedom' that Ron Paul promotes. This is peeing in a jar, and other the near-universal privacy intrusions that one must submit to to get a job. Ron Paul would support your "freedom" to refuse those too. But the consequence will be unemployment, freezing and starving. But hey it's "freedom".
Once again, I have trouble believing that people can be so ignorant as to how "libertarian capitalism" works.
My background was computer science and aviation which used early GPS when the dither was removed. It's my opinion that VLSI is to the point now, where GPS receiver chips as well as passive NSA chips (that don't need any power) are probably in many of the products we buy already. Even in the 90's it was child's play to instal a separate ROM chip or boot software that recorded every keystroke independently and blew that info to it's agency along with packets you sent later.
But that NSA level of spying is not even necessary for right-wing extremist groups or corporations who want your info. Even TOR won't protect you from Data Traffic Analysis since your header request result passes through hundreds of unknown servers that make up the net. Those servers have logs that are queried by industry routinely anyway for maintenance.
Encryption will probably defeat individual wackos who are obsessed with you, but it's not going to completely defeat organized crime centers like IT centers that Wall Street owns.
As far as tracking, you're pretty much screwed. I don't even carry a cell phone because of this violation of the forth amendment, but our cars and many of the clothes and shoes we wear and buy have RISC? chips in them that passively (no power) excite doorframes in most fortune 500 companies. So I never go into big chains anymore if I can help it.
All new US passports and some ID cards are loaded with electronics that download your gps coordinates when you pass through corporate readers. Even your SSN will happily display itself to a corporate reader who interrogates the thing. This probably explains why 50 percent of all Americans will experience identity theft at some times in their lives. Now I understand we have domestic police drones uplinked with this info? Let's hoped they're not armed and mix people up like in the movie "Brazil".
The problem is subcontractor pork amounting to billions of dollars of tracking "suspects" whether they be US citizens or not. It is always in the subcontractor's best interest to inflate the numbers of needed survielance operations.
The fun movie "Enemy of the State", the outfits: Skynet and Cyberdyne systems are no longer science fiction anymore.
We are all just one inch away from "The
Terminator" movie if you as me.
OWS this Spring.
TJ
Thanks TJ, I second your concerns.
I believe RFID is the thing you referred to as "RISC?," as these glass encased passive radio transmitters, require one passing through a doorway surrounded by a pulsed system that interrogates and then reads out the RFID chip's identifying (mini-ROM) information.
Besides RFID chips, the industry can imprint similar passive identifying information into the fabric of our clothing, somewhat like reading patterns of an invisible conductive ink, with RF transceivers. Both systems require relatively close proximity, because there is no self-contained power source, and they convert the energy directed at them to broadcast back the unique ID code.
Whereas, Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) is a technology that many dedicated imbedded products (Motorola/IBM) used as well as Macs, before Apple switched over to CISC (Complex…) architecture chips (Intel).
Add NFC (near field communication) chips to that. If you get one in your phone turn it off in preferences, if you can. This is intended to turn your phone into an active credit card which also announces itself to stores in the area. There are already stores signed up with software which announces the presence of the store to you when you are in the area and which also opens a tab for you as you pass.
Isn't that nice. They already have their hands in our pocketbooks and now they get to tell you that pick-pocketing is just a tab (account) open and ready to "serve you."
Like that old television episode where they translate the title of an alien book as "To Serve Humanity" (something like that) and as they are loading humans on a spaceship to the alien's planet they find out the book is a cookbook.
Homeostasis,
Thank you for the corrections. I couldn't remember the acronym and was too lazy to look it up. I did not know how the reader works with that pulsed energy. Very fascinating. Thank you again. Q: Do you think wrapping a passport or I.D. card in aluminum foil will defeat the interrogator (corp reader?) It works on portable GPS antennae, in small aircraft, but that's a super weak microwave signal.
It's a brave new non-private world we all live in now.
TJ
A: Yes, a Faraday shield encasing a passive device will stop radiation from going in or out.
The trick is that one needs to consider how to avoid the Aluminum foil tearing, wearing out, and losing any seal against itself, so consider the following :
Look to recycle some prescription packaging which use a mylar Aluminum sandwich (like used for the asthma inhaler pucks, google Advair), and have already made the corners and 3 sides well sealed -- as that eliminates the vulnerable edges.
Several companies offer this type of wallet-sized Faraday shield pouch for a price, but I don't see any need. Indubitably, more will be offering enclosures for cell phones, as some outfits go so far to offer material to electromagnetically seal your entire bedroom from prying EM fields.
* *
As far as the pulsed energy is concerned, the passive RFID device uses what is called a rectenna (rectifying antenna), that converts ambient EM fields to electricity to run the small computer. A suitably large EM field resonating at the exact interrogation frequency, maximizes the generation of the charge needed to process and then fire back out a transmit pulse with the data modulated upon it.
A friend told me of a fascinating micro-imaging diagnostic system, using an internal pill-sized flash camera, to snap pix twice a second for 6 hours -- of all of his innards -- that made use of an external RF transceiver device to store and record (and likely to power) the whole process.
Here's looking at you !
@ThomasJeffersonIt's my opinion that VLSI is to the point now, where GPS receiver chips as well as passive NSA chips (that don't need any power) are probably in many of the products we buy already.why do you think this?
Sorry duh, I missed you post. If you're still there,
Moore's Law: Every 18 months memory requirements in the computer industry double. As well, costs drop dramatically making chips only worth pennies compared with the new ones. But when your dealing with millions of lines of code, it's child's play to insert a SPY subroutine onto the bootup ROM chip of the very same manufacture brand like Intel Motorola, etc that supplies spy hardware/software to intel agencies. Probably even your coffee maker is listening to you! It's not high tech to do. "Back Doors" are well know in microsoft products, unguarded ports etc. Many of them were not accidents, and spawned a billion dollar industry in Computer Security programs. Anyway, I pity the poor subcontract monitoring snitch that has to listen to me: I sing very badly, and tell boring long-winded stories about myself.....
This article and esp. the comments explain why I do not own a modern cell phone. A decade ago I was something of a computer geek and thought about encryption and pretty much concluded that as noted above, all sorts of devious stuff could happen including back-door at the factory. (Windows by then was known to have programmed back doors...) Anyway, I see so many people yapping while driving that it makes me wonder if they have any time left to actually think or reflect on their own maturity or lack thereof. Silence can be golden---esp. when somebody is being paid to listen in and all they get is static. Happy New Year everybody!
-30-
Best argument ever for not owning one. The biggest arguments I have for its usefulness are safety concerns (for example, in an old car -- or to communicate to children). They're way overpriced. The only people who have any chance of arguing indispensibility are teenagers.
Best way to communicate privately is meet a person the old-fashioned way -in person! over coffee or what-not -- or write a letter and send it, with a seal, USPS. That might make us more of society where people get out in the streets to demand change. Because they would start talking to one another in person the way they talk on the internet.
to avoid identity theft, develop one that no one would want to steal.
Hmm.
"A VPN from vpn4all.com or ocshield.com will keep your browsing data, password data, and emails secure."
"Take the initiative on your data security by setting up a VPN."
Is it just me, or should this 'article' have the word "Advertisement" in bold print across the top? I'm not disputing the usefulness of Virtual Private Networks, but the style of this piece is certainly not journalistic.
but it is "progressive" cuz it mentions Assange.
I'm glad to see Julian's letting his hair grow out again. The corporate look he was sporting for a while just wasn't him.
Perfect case showing how corporate dictatorship has taken control of the population without a peep from so-called governmental "representatives".
Neoliberalism economics applied.
get technologically literate! you can put a version of android on yr phone which will eliminate the idiocy which operations like verizon impose with their versions. knowledge is power, but you've got to do a bit of work for it. xda-developers.com is a good place to to start researching alternative android systems.
I'm curious about something? Is Assange no longer a Mossad/CIA spy or has the Left wing forgotten about that bit of paranoia they bestowed on the guy?
Just knowing when you make a call and for how long is information that can be used to monitor you, so encrypting the call does not give you complete privacy.
Duct tape will prevevt the foil from tearing. If more creativity is the focus, http://www.rpi-polymath.com/ducttape/RFIDWallet.php
Prying Eyes Hooked to the Sky ePie December 3rd, 2012
“Honestly now, tell me bout them pryin eyes
you say they’re hooked to things in the sky?
Now I thought you was wise
Don’t go laboring on with your ‘lyin eyes’
tryin to disquise your wordy words
and trick your Pa
with big ones like platitude
What the f**k is a platitude?
If you can’t eat it I ain’t interested.
I suppose the mid part of the platitude
has some interest if you is bedded down
cuddlin with someone from the other side of town”
“You mean like that skank Sheila?”
“Well yah,
talk about pryin eyes
sure don’t need no hook for Sheila's
She’ll have the whole town crackin up bout your ‘hooks in the sky’
Now fix me some of them platitudes.
If one has a toll tag that too can track your location. It's a bit more complicated but has been used for that purpose.
In one case I know of it was used to track a stalker and verify the individual was in fact stalking another person.
GPS jamming is rather trivial and can be done with equipment obtained from most electronic parts house or computer store.
I built one from parts in the scrounge box under my bench.