On Thursday 31 December 2009, Derek J. Balling wrote: > Replying to various points here... > > > This statement is self-contradictory. Comparing a "turned off > > flashlight" to a "turned off cellphone" is equal. Both are > > disabled circuits. > > Not at all. A turned off cellphone is in standby mode in 99.99% of > all cases, because the power "switch" is a soft-button, not a > open-gate.
I'll just mention that batteries have internal resistance which is why they slowly loose charge even when not connnected to anything. > >> Could you ask them how? I'd be very surprised if it's by virtue > >> of some communication feature of the cell phone. As Mike K > >> pointed out, we wouldn't be allowed to bring a cellphone on > >> board a plane at all if it were able to transmit while turned > >> off. > > > > I agree. This sounds bogus. Evidence, please. > > http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/12/can_you_hear_me.html > > You have the right to retract your position, because it can -- and > has -- been done, and I suppose if I felt strongly enough about > it, we could try to dig up the unclassified parts of the court > case mentioned in that article, but here's the executive summary: > > - The FBI can remotely use your cell phone as a listening device, > even while it's turned off, without ever having to physically > touch it, and - The court has ruled, as part of what appear to be > evidentiary proceedings based on evidence gathered in that > fashion, that this is an acceptable practice. > > So, there's your evidence. News stories aren't always right -- these days there's a lot less fact checking and a lot more hype than there used to be. I've lost count how many news stories come directly from blogs. :-/ I'm not going to go as far as to claim that it's not possible, however I will say that it is unlikely. How would the FBI address the phone when it wasn't communicating with the towers to know where it is in order to know which tower to transmit from to activate something on the phone? Also, keep in mind that it's possible only certain devices contain the necessary circuitry -- which is why I like Mike's thought of checking to see what communication occurs on _your_ cellphone when it's off. -- Chris -- Chris Knadle [email protected] _______________________________________________ Mid-Hudson Valley Linux Users Group http://mhvlug.org http://mhvlug.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mhvlug Upcoming Meetings (6pm - 8pm) MHVLS Auditorium Dec 2 - MythTV Jan 6 - Git
