[Discuss] GPS feature in cellphones?

[Richard Pieri]

Tom Metro wrote:
> My guess is that the origin of this FUD comes from phones that have been
> hacked by a government agency. One can imagine how it would be easy to
> modify a phone's software such that the power button merely fakes a shut
> down. Meanwhile it stays running, tracking, and sending audio from the

I've owned a couple of el-cheapo $20 phones (which, by the way, do have
location services) and they can't be modified OTA. The hardware to do it
simply isn't there. The only way for agents of a government agency to
perform such a hack on these phones is to do it in person.

Think about that. If the NSA needs to send agents in to modify Al-Qaeda
operatives' phones to turn them into trackers then they don't need to do
it because they already know where those people are. If you are correct
then something doesn't add up here.

Maybe "The Find" is just FUD, a herring to keep the masses distracted
from what's really going on. I don't know. But what I figure is the
simplest answer is also the most tin-foil-hat: every cell phone sold
comes pre-compromised from the manufacturers. If cell service providers
can lie about providing call data to authorities then why can't handset
makers lie about what they've put into their handsets?

-- 
Rich P.