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D.G., Wendy, and other of my friends read my post of yesterday
and wrote they would promptly turn off their cell phones when not in use to prevent government snooping.
Ah, those pesky buggers have thought of that.
Can someone truly bring your phone back to life without touching it?
No.
But government spies can get your phone to play dead.
The NSA or the FBI can set up their own miniature cell network tower.
Your phone automatically connects to it.
Now, that tower's radio waves send a command to your phone's antennae: the baseband chip.
That tells your phone to fake any shutdown and stay on.
A smart hack won't keep your phone running at 100%, though.
Spies could keep your phone on standby and just use the microphone -- or send pings announcing your location.
The only way you can tell is if your phone feels warm when it's turned off.
That means the baseband processor is still running.
Scary, right?
There literally is no place to hide.
Murderers can remain at large for years, but let you get on the wrong side of the Intelligence Agencies -- BAM!
Your phone automatically connects to it.
Now, that tower's radio waves send a command to your phone's antennae: the baseband chip.
That tells your phone to fake any shutdown and stay on.
A smart hack won't keep your phone running at 100%, though.
Spies could keep your phone on standby and just use the microphone -- or send pings announcing your location.
The only way you can tell is if your phone feels warm when it's turned off.
That means the baseband processor is still running.
Scary, right?
There literally is no place to hide.
Murderers can remain at large for years, but let you get on the wrong side of the Intelligence Agencies -- BAM!
Of course, your phone does not have to be turned on to tattle on you.
The software inside your phone pinpoints you whether it is on or not.
How?
Something in your phone known as an accelerometer.
It's a tiny chip inside your phone that measures whether you're holding your phone horizontally or vertically,
so the phone can alter its screen accordingly.
But in the same way your fingerprints are yours alone, so is your phone's signal.
Those imperfections mean your phone's unique signal can make your habits easy to track whenever your phone is in use.
Your phone's camera, gyroscope and microphones, among other parts, make you vulnerable as well.
That's any cell phone, too. Sigh.
How?
Something in your phone known as an accelerometer.
It's a tiny chip inside your phone that measures whether you're holding your phone horizontally or vertically,
so the phone can alter its screen accordingly.
But in the same way your fingerprints are yours alone, so is your phone's signal.
Those imperfections mean your phone's unique signal can make your habits easy to track whenever your phone is in use.
Your phone's camera, gyroscope and microphones, among other parts, make you vulnerable as well.
That's any cell phone, too. Sigh.
And it is NOT JUST THE GOVERNMENT:
