Privacy Infringement

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Remember the days when we used rotary phones as our only means of wired communication?  For those that lived in rural areas, many had party lines.  Each household on the party line had their own ring to indicate the call was for them.  At any given time, those who shared the line could listen in.  It certainly wasn’t considered very private.

In today’s society, we have advanced well beyond these means.  The rotary phone was replaced with touchtone and cordless to provide each household with their own privacy.  Cell phone technology has enabled us to have even more mobility while making that private call.  But is it really private?

We are familiar with the idea that house phones can be tapped.  However, cell phones are not exempt.   In fact, your cell phone can act like a blazing hot trail for the mischievous to follow.  Not only can your calls be heard and text messages read, but conversations can be listened to if your cell phone is in the same room.  If that weren’t enough, your cell phone can act like a GPS tracking system that monitors your every move.  Sound a little unsettling?  How about the fact that all of this can happen even when the phone is turned off?  Furthermore, it is completely untraceable.

Thanks to technology, we have opened ourselves to potential harm.  Companies, who sell it, advertise its usefulness to “protect your children or catch cheating spouses.”  However, it is illegal practice without the consent of the individual being tapped.  It is “your responsibility to notify any user they are being monitored.”  Cell phones with the more advanced features are the most vulnerable.  However, this does not exclude earlier models.  Not all cell phones are affected at present but “they are adding new phones all the time.” 

So how is all this possible?  All that is needed though is a few minutes with your cell phone and the perpetrator has everything they need for installation.  The best solution, keep track of your cell phone and don’t let it out of your site.  And when it is not in use, remove the battery.  Furthermore, these products are not sold in North America.  However, that doesn’t stop an individual from purchasing outside these borders. 

According to the WTHR, there are a few ways to determine if you are the victim of cell phone tapping.  

“-Cell phone battery is warm even when your phone has not been used
- Cell phone lights up at unexpected times, including occasions when phone is not in use
- Unexpected beep or click during phone conversation.”

It seems quite unnerving when instances such as these invade our freedom to privacy.  Thankfully, it cannot be done remotely.  Or can it?  If you are an American citizen you may be the target of the FBI eavesdropping tools also known as a “roving bug.”  Technically, it is stated to be used on those involved in organized crime and is therefore within their law enforcement rights.  The FBI has the ability to modify recently manufactured cell phones remotely, which has a built in tracking device, allowing them to hear and locate you even when the phone is off.  Although the FBI has utilized this tool for some time now, many may still not be aware.  None the less, how can anything that uses radio waves be secure?

Perhaps the remote modification of cell phones by the FBI of suspected criminals is for the greater good.  However, if they have this expertise, how long will it take for the criminal minds to catch up?  We have already advanced to quick installation methods of spy technology that is untraceable.  All be it that cell phones offer us many benefits, it is becoming clearer that these benefits can be manipulated by those who have harmful intent which in turn provides them with the tools to infringe on our privacy.