Did you know that the police have the power to secretly activate the microphone and video on your mobile?

Question

The police can upload 'snoopware' like flexispy onto your phone to watch and listen to whats going on around the phone. Can there ever be any good reason why they would need the power to do this? Creepy.

http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=1143042007

This website recons the FBI are allowed to use this as a bugging method, they call it a 'roving bug'. Not sure how credible a source it is...

http://news.com.com/2100-1029_3-6140191.html

Know what you mean bunnykins :o) apparently 70% of people use their mobiles as alarm clocks, bit pervy having the power to listen into bedrooms.

Wilfred B - thanks for commenting on this question.

The very nature of the security services and law enforcement agencies means that hard and fast proof is hard to come by - very convenient I'm sure you'd agree!

The software definately does exist...

http://www.flexispy.com/

The first claim saying that the police/security services in the UK uses this type of software was made by an article in the Finacial Times in 2005...

http://search.ft.com/ftArticle?
queryText=police+activate+mobile+phone&aje=true&id=050802010485&ct=0

Although it is a newspaper, it is not one renowned for its sensationalism.

The link to the FT hasn't worked, sorry, it is...

http://search.ft.com/ftArticle?queryText=police+activate+mobile+phone&aje=true&id=050802010485&ct=0

Answer 1

ok that's just weird. i have nothing to hide, but this is just invasion of privacy. what makes the police think they're allowed to be in my life? i've never had any trouble with them but this is just pointless. besides, how can they record me if my camera is hidden? ..thank god for my slide phone!! anyhoo, i really can't think of any reason why they would need to do that. it's just completely absurd.

Answer 2

Many officers already do which exonerates them 99% of the time when someone makes an erroneous complaint. I've heard rumor that audio recordings do exist which is one reason why the Cambridge Police Commissioner is standing behind the officer in support of his actions. I sure wouldn't want to be in Dr Gates shoes if and when that tape hits the media! None the less, there were enough law enforcement and civilian witnesses present to warrant the disorderly conduct arrest and the boisterous demeanor of Dr Gates! Dropped charges occur all the time. In this case, it was obviously a politically motivated and diplomatic resolution to the problem! It has nothing to do with a "lack of evidence!"

Answer 3

Well, they're going to have a hard time with my mobile phone.

a] it does not do photos

b] it is switched off most of the time

c] it is only ever used to send sex texts to my partner as in textual intercourse whenever I'm away from home

If I want so speak to someone I'll meet them down the pub. Usual place where all the local gossips gather and share rude stories about the neighbours and slag off the government or anything else they want to waffle on about.

Usually by beer 3 the words are flowing quite freely.

If the fuzz want to know what's going on, forget phone taps, tap the pub instead. Might hear true public opinion for the first time.

The fuzz are just a bunch of wankers. Can never find one when you want one and they don't give a damn if your house is burgled either.

Why are we paying these people?

Creating A Culture of Security: Living Under Surveillance Counter-surveillance is the practice of avoiding or making surveillance ... You should not, for example, seek to avoid surveillance for issues that are not ...
http://www.omnipresence.mahost.org/surveillance.htm

Is my phone tapped - How to avoid surveillance- Empirephone tapped avoid surveillance infidelity checks, investigations and more. Discount products and equipment for spying or catching a cheating spouse.
http://www.empireinv.com/whattodo.htm

Surveillance - Wikipedia, Counter surveillance is the practice of avoiding surveillance or making surveillance difficult. Before computer networks, counter surveillance involved ...
http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surveillance

Eavesdropping and Electronic Surveillance Detection - Advanced ...It will also discuss methods to avoid surveillance. ... Surveillance equipment is not difficult to construct and is available in many electronics stores. ...
http://www.bugsweeps.com/info/eavesdropping_detection.html

My Notes: If a person has anything 'secret' to say to another person, arrange to meet somewhere in the country side well away from people and houses.

SURVEILLANCE is not working where I live. Recently there was a stabbing at a bus stop right outside a very large police station near where I live. The police saw nothing. Why, because their spy-cams are looking down at their entrance and not scanning the street outside.

Just how daft is that? A stabbing on the street not ten yards away from the cop-shop and they see nothing? Their police station could just as easily be attacked and they would not know about it until the bomb went off.

I despare of these people who put on a uniform and call themselves 'the police'.

Answer 4

Not without a warrant from the Home Office they can't, any evidence would be inadmissable and any actions taken on information gathered from such a snoop would make them liable for someone to sue them, big time. The only reason they may be able to do it is in the case of national security, for example if they had reason to believe you were involved in terrorist acitivities. Lets face it, if someone were, we would all be glad they had been intercepted at the earliest opportunity. Perhaps if the police had paid more attention to the chatterings and comings and goings of Shezad Tanweer and Mohammed Sidique Khan, 7/7 could have been averted.

Answer 5

Well if it is true, which I doubt because most criminals use PAYG phones and these cant be traced to a particular person, then the evidence gained from it would never be admissable in court in England so it doesnt help anyone.

Plus how much evidence could a camera in a pocket collect? You can just hear the police conversation - that pockets a bit too dark for my likeing, lets fit him up on terrorism charges.
Plus the camera on my phone is behind a shutter which can only be manually opened.
I think you are being a little paranoid.

Answer 6

Wow, what an interesting article, I will agree with the end of the article though, that any kind of surveilance needs high approval, and this type would certainly need a letter from God.

The Police don't want to spend all day listening to your left testicle bouncing off your change!!!

It is a bit scary mind, but can't see it being a problem unless you're planning to blow anything up.

Answer 7

Probably why not? Wouldn't put anything past the police or secret service. Well to be honest wouldn't give a s..t, I would wind them up talking about Al Queda and drugs as they shouldn't be intruding in my conversations in the first place. Or wasiting their time on a muppet like me. F...k 'em I say if you know your a nice person believe in goodness not a criminal so what? Tell what they want to hear, how gd their wife was last night? he,he.

Answer 8

You can buy this device in spyware shops in Britain, although you are supposed to be police to be able to use it.
As long as you know the persons number, the device will ring and record everytime the suspect or person receives a call on their mobile or landlines.
Big Brother certainly is watching us and most of us are unaware.

Answer 9

If they activate the camera in my phone, they are likely to see the inside of the pocket in my slacks. If they activate the microphone they may hear the coins in the pocket clicking together. In actual practice, this is normally used to 'wiretap' criminals that don't uses land-line phones and avoid talking in fixed locations.

The GPS chip would provide much more information. If they can reprogram the phone to access the camera and microphone, the GPS chip should not be hard to access. I'm sure they have thought about that already.

Answer 10

Most surveillance aware types already take steps to avoid this sort of eavesdropping.

This ranges from switching off, disabling phones, or just leaving them near a radio so that any 'chatter' between a phone and it's mast is noticeable.