Journal lpq's Journal: Universal, remote, cell-phone control? Echelon? Real?
I found the following in an article about the Big Brother that may be coming to a the inside of a computer near you". (Assuming you don't have it already). In particular, the author refers to this capacity already existing in nearly everyone's cell-phone.
In the late 1990s, many complaints were filed about a believed-to-exist, yet unproven and undisclosed technology in cell phones called ECHELON. This technology was later acknowledged to exist and is now known to be in nearly all modern day cell phones. The only way to disable it is to remove the battery from the phone, thus rendering the device useless to ECHELON - but also the user.
ECHELON is a hidden system which operates in the background in cell phones. Its purpose is to grant remote access to the phone's microphone and data files. The remote authority (typically an authorized government agency (FBI, police, etc.,) working under a duly authorized search warrant, but theoretically anybody who has access to the cell phone network) can access a phone, turn its features on and off and access all of its data. Any cell phone files, including camera images and voice data, can then be searched or sent across the cell phone network at any time.
The ECHELON system inside of cell phones operates only in the background. It allows the phone operate normally from all outward signs and without any observable changes in behavior for the user. In fact, the average user would never know ECEHLON was even present or working as everything it does is totally behind the scenes and outside of the user's awareness. This is also its appeal to governments, authorized agencies, and of course hackers.
I thought it was only "special" phones -- not all phones. Is it really the case that anyone (or any capable hacker) can tap into your cellphone and activate the microphone and camera without any sign that the phone has been tapped into?
This seems more than a little bit discomforting...
Universal, remote, cell-phone control? Echelon? Real? More Login
Universal, remote, cell-phone control? Echelon? Real?
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