ways to know your cell phone is being tapped......

I dont know about cell phones, but on landlines here certain words will trigger a clicking sound. I knew about this but didnt believe it til it happened to me

[link to abcnews.go.com]


......
Indications that your cell phone may be bugged:

The screen lights up for no reason
The flash on the camera goes off when you're not taking a picture
You notice ambient noise in the background when you're on a phone call
You repeatedly get strange text messages from an unknown origin



You should also watch to see if the phone is warm b/c the battery needs to be activated to listen in on your calls and conversations. Note that that any cellphone with a speakerphone capability is at risk. There is software that can be used to listen in on conversations in the room even when you are not using the phone. If your battery runs out more quickly than it should, that would be suspicious. You could remove your battery when you are not using the phone.

[link to news.cnet.com]

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.

Nextel cell phones owned by two alleged mobsters, John Ardito and his attorney Peter Peluso, were used by the FBI to listen in on nearby conversations. The FBI views Ardito as one of the most powerful men in the Genovese family, a major part of the national Mafia.

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.

While the Genovese crime family prosecution appears to be the first time a remote-eavesdropping mechanism has been used in a criminal case, the technique has been discussed in security circles for years.

The U.S. Commerce Department's security office warns that "a cellular telephone can be turned into a microphone and transmitter for the purpose of listening to conversations in the vicinity of the phone." An article in the Financial Times last year said mobile providers can "remotely install a piece of software on to any handset, without the owner's knowledge, which will activate the microphone even when its owner is not making a call."

Nextel and Samsung handsets and the Motorola Razr are especially vulnerable to software downloads that activate their microphones, said James Atkinson, a counter-surveillance consultant who has worked closely with government agencies. "They can be remotely accessed and made to transmit room audio all the time," he said. "You can do that without having physical access to the phone."

Because modern handsets are miniature computers, downloaded software could modify the usual interface that always displays when a call is in progress. The [software] could then place a call to the FBI and activate the microphone--all without the owner knowing it happened. (The FBI declined to comment on Friday.)

"If a phone has in fact been modified to act as a bug, the only way to counteract that is to either have a bugsweeper follow you around 24-7, which is not practical, or to peel the battery off the phone," Atkinson said. Security-conscious corporate executives routinely remove the batteries from their cell phones, he added.

FBI's physical bugs discovered
The FBI's Joint Organized Crime Task Force, which includes members of the New York police department, had little luck with conventional surveillance of the Genovese family. They did have a confidential source who reported the suspects met at restaurants including Brunello Trattoria in New Rochelle, N.Y., which the FBI then bugged.

But in July 2003, Ardito and his crew discovered bugs in three restaurants, and the FBI quietly removed the rest. Conversations recounted in FBI affidavits show the men were also highly suspicious of being tailed by police and avoided conversations on cell phones whenever possible.

That led the FBI to resort to "roving bugs," first of Ardito's Nextel handset and then of Peluso's. U.S. District Judge Barbara Jones approved them in a series of orders in 2003 and 2004, and said she expected to "be advised of the locations" of the suspects when their conversations were recorded.

Details of how the Nextel bugs worked are sketchy. Court documents, including an affidavit (p1) and (p2) prepared by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Kolodner in September 2003, refer to them as a "listening device placed in the cellular telephone." That phrase could refer to software or hardware.

One private investigator interviewed by CNET News.com, Skipp Porteous of Sherlock Investigations in New York, said he believed the FBI planted a physical bug somewhere in the Nextel handset and did not remotely activate the microphone.

"They had to have physical possession of the phone to do it," Porteous said. "There are several ways that they could have gotten physical possession. Then they monitored the bug from fairly near by."

But other experts thought microphone activation is the more likely scenario, mostly because the battery in a tiny bug would not have lasted a year and because court documents say the bug works anywhere "within the United States"--in other words, outside the range of a nearby FBI agent armed with a radio receiver.

In addition, a paranoid Mafioso likely would be suspicious of any ploy to get him to hand over a cell phone so a bug could be planted. And Kolodner's affidavit seeking a court order lists Ardito's phone number, his 15-digit International Mobile Subscriber Identifier, and lists Nextel Communications as the service provider, all of which would be unnecessary if a physical bug were being planted.

A BBC article from 2004 reported that intelligence agencies routinely employ the remote-activiation method. "A mobile sitting on the desk of a politician or businessman can act as a powerful, undetectable bug," the article said, "enabling them to be activated at a later date to pick up sounds even when the receiver is down."

For its part, Nextel said through spokesman Travis Sowders: "We're not aware of this investigation, and we weren't asked to participate."

Other mobile providers were reluctant to talk about this kind of surveillance. Verizon Wireless said only that it "works closely with law enforcement and public safety officials. When presented with legally authorized orders, we assist law enforcement in every way possible."

A Motorola representative said that "your best source in this case would be the FBI itself." Cingular, T-Mobile, and the CTIA trade association did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Mobsters: The surveillance vanguard
This isn't the first time the federal government has pushed at the limits of electronic surveillance when investigating reputed mobsters.

In one case involving Nicodemo S. Scarfo, the alleged mastermind of a loan shark operation in New Jersey, the FBI found itself thwarted when Scarfo used Pretty Good Privacy software (PGP) to encode confidential business data.

So with a judge's approval, FBI agents repeatedly snuck into Scarfo's business to plant a keystroke logger and monitor its output.

Like Ardito's lawyers, Scarfo's defense attorneys argued that the then-novel technique was not legal and that the information gleaned through it could not be used. Also like Ardito, Scarfo's lawyers lost when a judge ruled in January 2002 that the evidence was admissible.

This week, Judge Kaplan in the southern district of New York concluded that the "roving bugs" were legally permitted to capture hundreds of hours of conversations because the FBI had obtained a court order and alternatives probably wouldn't work.

The FBI's "applications made a sufficient case for electronic surveillance," Kaplan wrote. "They indicated that alternative methods of investigation either had failed or were unlikely to produce results, in part because the subjects deliberately avoided government surveillance."

Bill Stollhans, president of the Private Investigators Association of Virginia, said such a technique would be legally reserved for police armed with court orders, not private investigators.

There is "no law that would allow me as a private investigator to use that type of technique," he said. "That is exclusively for law enforcement. It is not allowable or not legal in the private sector. No client of mine can ask me to overhear telephone or strictly oral conversations."

Surreptitious activation of built-in microphones by the FBI has been done before. A 2003 lawsuit revealed that the FBI was able to surreptitiously turn on the built-in microphones in automotive systems like General Motors' OnStar to snoop on passengers' conversations.

When FBI agents remotely activated the system and were listening in, passengers in the vehicle could not tell that their conversations were being monitored.

Malicious hackers have followed suit. A report last year said Spanish authorities had detained a man who write a Trojan horse that secretly activated a computer's video camera and forwarded him the recordings

A better question how can you tell if it is NOT tapped. Always assume someone is listening.

One time me and a friend did a little experiment. We were going to meet for lunch at a diner. At the end of the conversation I said "and don't forget the drugs!" in a very sarcastic, jokingly way. When I got there, an undercover cop pulled up behind me and parked behind me. Then he got out and started talking on his cell phone. I was listening to the radio in my car for a few minutes and 2 regular cop cars pulled in. After I left the restaurant, an entirely different cop car pulled behind me and followed me for around 5 minutes.

yes, really

the sound is similar to if you were using a land line, and there was a phone in the house off the hook.

Tapping, distortions, echo, delays, connection sounds.


Let me put it this way.

We thought it was tapped.

Then we saw the AR's and shot guns.

Chances are, if you think it's tapped, because of something you've been doing. It is.

Chances are.

If it isn't.

People are still listening to your call.

No, no legality issue here...

If they're listening in on conversations only when you're on a call, there's usually no way to tell if someone is listening. The signal is digital & can be intercepted anywhere in between you & the other caller.

HOWEVER

There is software that can run on a cell phone & listen in on you & track your location & even see on your phone's camera if you're not using your phone or making a call. This CAN be detected quite simply. Turn up your PC speakers really loud but don't play any sounds or music on the PC. Just let the cell phone sit nearby for a while. If it's transmitting, it will sometimes (depending on the phone) induce a current in the speaker wire (it acts as an antenna) and you'll hear a distinctive sound that sounds like a weird clicking & low pitched beeping. It used to happen to me all the time, so I stopped using a cell phone. I think that cell phones which don't have an external antenna have to transmit at higher power and so they induce a stronger current in the speaker wire than other phones.

Other than that, always assume you're being heard, watched, tracked, and data mined. It's that bad.

If my phone sits next to the speaker which has the power source, 3 or 4 seconds before the phone rings...the speaker
makes a static sound...then the phone rings...so I keep the phone away from that speaker...

What would this mean?

There have been many times, I hear my voice...feed back...
a word or two of which I had just said...i.e. "how are you...then I hear "how you".

What would this mean?

and Thank you.

Cellphones are digital. You will never hear any sort of noise if its tapped. It's not necessary like the old hardlined wired phones. They actually had to be routed through a switchboard and the current would be weakened.


You'll never know if you're cellphone is tapped.

get a vintage gps phone, no camera, no web, no bluetooth, no wifi.

the GPS capable phone could give up your location but thats about it.

you really can live without those features.

When I call specific people for about the last two and a half years..I push the button to dial the number and I hold the set up to my head. The phone rings and then it sounds like someone has answered and is fumbling to get the phone from thier pocket to thier ear. I wait for a second for someone to speak and then I say either "hello" or the name of the person I am calling, about twice, and then the phone begins to ring again as if no one has answered and the rings continue until either the person answers or the voice mail.

This happens with two people I call, exclusively.

Paranoia...

There are probably over 100 million Americans that know "things" about big brother..

If you arent doing anything illegal or you arent a threat to society, they could give a shit less about you...

You are a "barking moonbat", "conspiracy theorist", "truther", "chemtard" and just a total nutcase in general...Learn the game brother, there is a war, but its on your mind...

Keep it under a cushion .Live your life peacefully.And don't worry...You'll hear when it rings.

Most echoes have to do with the 'antennaS- to -mobile unit transmission (send/receive) protocol'.

If you are in motion,the phone will connect to next antennaS (TRIGONOMETRY)THIS action will be heard on your radioS as INDUCED wave forms.

1. Monitor your battery. If you are losing unusual amounts of juice or have a dead battery after a five minute call this may be an indication that your phone has been bugged.

2. Feel the temperature of your cell when it is not in use. A heated phone is normal during use but in periods of down time your phone should be at room temperature. If it is hot after sitting for hours there is cause for concern.

3. Listen for a constant buzzing. Most cell phones have a low hum while in use but make jumpy, inconsistent noises when hung up. If your phone is making a constant, streamlined buzz sound when you are not on calls you might have a problem.

4. Check your cell for weird volume changes and scratchy noises. Think of it like the Rice Krispies cereal. If your cell has consistent "snap, crackle and pop," you may be carrying a bug.

5. Test your cell by removing the battery for 24 hours. By removing the battery, you are cutting off all communication to your phone (hopefully). Replace the battery and watch the phone. There could be a bug if it resumes the strange noises, low battery and heat.

6. Contact the police. Think carefully before contacting law enforcement. If you decide to go through with this step, most police stations have equipment that can test your phone for a bug.

Tips & Warnings

* Think about your recent phone conversations and the information that has been relayed in those discussions. If you begin to notice that people know more than you have disclosed, you may be the victim of a bug.

* Remember--the chances are slim that your cell phone is actually bugged. Noises, low battery and heat may be from overuse, bad connections or general interference.

[link to www.ehow.com]

Not true. That is a myth. It was true back before the 1970's when all switching in the phone offices were mechanical. Today almost all networks are ditgital.

Any phone tapping is "seamless", you will never hear a thing. all tapping is built right into the digital system. They have phone numbers they can dial from any phone, in any location, it puts them into test equipment, they can then enter any phone number they want and it connects them to that phone number and they can listen to anything that is said. The people using the targeted phone number will never....never hear one sound or click. Its "seamless". They used to brag about it....not sure how many times I heard the word "seamless". They were very proud of it.

Even your local phone repair people have access to a hybrid of this technollogy. The only difference is there is a filter that scambles the digital data and they can hear people talking but cannot understand a word they are saying.


.

The microphones in cell phones are VERY sensitive and will not be muffled by a cushion. Not only that, there exists some very sophisticated audio analysis software that can clarify what's being said.

The signal is digital, complete with its own network protocol. The phone will send & receive a signal before it begins to ring, simply because it has to.

The ONLY way to use a cell phone & be sure it's not bugged is to make it yourself. Build your own cell phone, write the firmware, implement software protection, and guard the phone from being accessed by ANYONE else. Even with this, the signal can be triangulaged, so it's best not to transmit unless absolutely necessary, and only after going to a neutral location.

Call terrorist countries and ask for usama. They'll pay you a visit just to let you know...

triangulated

Yeah, when the FBI, DHS, and NSA show up at your door, you WILL know.

Another thing: Because the signal is digital and computing has advanced so far, it is possible (and indeed assumed) that all speech on cell phones (and landlines by now) is converted to text, searched for key words, and otherwise data mined automatically. This would automatically scan every single call in, to, & from usa, and alert undesireables to things said. Do you really think the NSA scandal was just about arabs?

all cellphone calls are run through electronic filters that look for keywords, then records any calls deemed 'suspicious' to be reviewed by a human at a later time. if you have enough calls recorded and reviewed, the computer gets set to 'always record' any data entering or leaving your device. when enough credible data is stored on you, and if you are deemed an actual threat to the reigning paradigm, you get busted. its what is done with email too.

That was a joke.

No, you hear a delay at least.

I mean, not always...

Last Edited by HighAwareness on 04/19/2010 12:22 AM

That's what it's like.

how can you tell if your cell phone is being tapped?

The battery is in it - you're on echelon.

I'm not sure what you are saying is a "joke" but I assure you what I said is not a "joke". Its the way it is and I know from personnal experience.

.

assume it is tapped. just like your email and this post i am writing. hopefully they will learn something useful from it all...