You bet they're listening!!!!!!!

[oldred]

My son had loaned his Glock handgun to a co-worker and close friend for the weekend, both he and the co-worker have carry permits and everything was perfectly legal. The friend was unable to return the gun as was planned so he had his wife meet my son at a designated spot to return the gun, several text messages preceded this to arrange a location. It was all perfectly innocent and legal but when they arrived at the location cops came from everywhere! The joke was on them as everything was perfectly in order and legal, both parties could legally have this gun in their passion so the big gun bust was just that a "bust" but it could easily have turned into a nightmare!

Now the question arises, how the hell did they know if they weren't eavesdropping on the text messages? The bottom, line is privacy is a thing of the past and you can bet that whatever you say, no matter how innocent or supposedly private, is probably being listened to or read by someone somewhere, likely the words "gun", "pistol" or maybe even "Glock" flagged those texts and someone then read and acted on them! This stinks! This is supposed to be America and while I understand about the need to protect from terrorists and such our right to privacy still needs to be respected!

[C. Latch]

while I understand about the need to protect from terrorists and such our right to privacy still needs to be respected!

Choose wisely when you vote next year.

[oldred]

Choose wisely when you vote next year.

I intend to try but it's what we have to choose from that worries me.

[C. Latch]

I intend to try but it's what we have to choose from that worries me.

I hear you.


Nowadays I just assume that anything I say on the phone or type in a text or online is read by someone, somewhere. I try to talk about liberty a lot. Maybe they'll listen.

[enfield]

I'm curious, what was some of the messages they were texting that would get someones interest. if it was me I wouldn't text something like "I've got the gun, meet me at the corner of 1st & 2nd " that would just sound suspicious anyway.

[Bodean98]

Yet 2 muslim extremists can amass firearms and ammo and pipe bombs and not be detected until they decide to unleash their terror on an unsuspecting public? ***?

[Mumblypeg]

Yet 2 muslim extremists can amass firearms and ammo and pipe bombs and not be detected until they decide to unleash their terror on an unsuspecting public? ***?

Yeah.... that's what I was wondering too.

[Mal Paso]

Cynical answer? Cops read the intent, knew the "bust" was a safe place to be and still have a gun on the report.

[oldred]

I don't know the exact wording of the text but the point is no one else should have been reading it!

[jcwit]

I don't know the exact wording of the text but the point is no one else should have been reading it!

What makes you think texting is private?

We may not like it, but again it is what it is, till it is changed.

[MUSTANG]

Wake up, the Republic is dead and the Constitution is on life support. Supposed "Conservative" news channels such as Fox and Fox business are staffed with liberals masquerading as Conservatives, and they must have the "Fair and Balanced" by fawning over the Progressive/Liberal/Socialist/Communist guest, or the staff reporter who represents that side.

The Obama Administration is on a runaway train to eliminate private firearms ownership as rapidly as possible using whatever means possible, and the press of all forms are willing participants, aiding and abetting that effort. Every time they open their mouths, they are incredulous that someone would own a firearm. Same goes for our elected officials; representative government with Constitutionally controlled government officials is but a memory (perhaps with a few exceptions such as Cruz, Gowdy, and a hand full of others).

Why do you think they would stop at "Reading your Mail" (or electronic correspondence), or listening in at the Key Hole (on your private calls)? The "Feds" have been listening in for a long time. As an example:

Carnivore, later renamed DCS1000, was a system implemented by the Federal Bureau of Investigation that was designed to monitor email and electronic communications. It used a customizable packet sniffer that can monitor all of a target user's Internet traffic. Carnivore was implemented in October 1997. By 2005 it had been replaced with improved commercial software such as NarusInsight.

These and other program/hardware systems are bulk monitoring at the enterprise level. They are inserted into the stream of voice/data/Internet systems and are always on. Theoretically the Feds can only "Listen In" to a specific communication with a Judicially approved Warrant; but the capability is always there. This is the same concept/technology that Snowden told the World that the NSA was using. Funny; it has been "Known" it was out there for decades, but suppressed from the general public's awareness by deriding those who addressed it by calling them "Conspiracy Nuts".

How far does this go back? Well, as far back as the 1950's the technology existed to "Bug" a location by listening in on a room through the phone. Any location that had a phone in the room, could be monitored without having to place a bug in it through the using of some really sophisticated electronics that measures the line capacitance, and translates that to audio. Although the phone may be not in use, the capacitance of the line changes ever so slightly as the speaker and receiver vibrates from noise/conversation in the room, changing the line capacitance as they vibrate. As I said, very sophisticated equipment and not readily available.

If you have a cell phone or computer, with the right network access (and government computer hacking) they can be remotely turned on and your conversations monitored, or the video cameras turned on for use in monitoring. These also take a higher level of technical sophistication to accomplish, but this capability can be found in the various Federal Agencies and major Metropolitan/State Law Enforcement agencies. The "SPY TOOL" employed becomes your own electronic devices (cell phones/pda's, computers, etc..). These capabilities are not so widely fielded that each us are subject to their use, but they are out there; and the only thing keeping them from being abused are the interpretation of those who have the tools on their use without an approved warrant.

You can also be "Listened In On" through the use of sophisticated "Directional Microphones" that can pick out conversations from surprisingly long distances. These have gone from the hidden recesses of dark projects many years ago, to the "Toy/Recreational Market" of today ( see some samples at: http://www.amazon.com/Scientific-Exp...stening+device)

Our Freedoms and Liberty are protected by the U.S Constitution (which includes privacy), but they exist only as long as our elected officials and employees at the Federal, State, and local level respect and protect the US Constitution (and the Constitutions of the States). Sadly, the majority of these people are either totally ignorant of what their oaths of office and the Constitution/s actually mean, or they are so corrupt and seeking of unlimited power they do not care.

[GhostHawk]

I figured this out years and decades ago, back when I was a flight sim junky connecting to a server in Dallas. I watched my connection regularly. Suddenly it is getting to St Louis and taking a big hop to middleton New Jersey before heading back to St L and near doubling my lag.

They hijack everything! Run it through filters looking for keywords.
Same is true of phones. We were listening to Drug Cartel phone conversations back in the 90's.

Any one of a number of words used could have triggered this, including gun, meet, glock, pistol, etc.

This IS the world we live in, wake up and smell the coffee.

[Tenbender]

The cops can track a legal gun owner but don't bother with a thug !

[Blammer]

time to make up a bunch of phony meetings...

[kens]

when the message goes over the airwaves (i.e. cellphone) nothing is private about it, it is broadcast over the open airwaves and it doesn't matter who listens.
I agree it seems like they are 'listening' however, anytime you transmit over the open airwaves, all privacy is lost.
Whenever you make a online purchase with smartphone & credit card, hackers can get your card info simply because you broadcast over the air.

[MUSTANG]

when the message goes over the airwaves (i.e. cellphone) nothing is private about it, it is broadcast over the open airwaves and it doesn't matter who listens.
I agree it seems like they are 'listening' however, anytime you transmit over the open airwaves, all privacy is lost.
Whenever you make a online purchase with smartphone & credit card, hackers can get your card info simply because you broadcast over the air.

Encryption was born to resolve this dilemma. During WW-II the Morse code transmissions between many high level commands of the US, Japan, Germany, and other countries were encrypted before transmitting. The infamous codes and programs "Ultra, Enigma, etc.." for example. Significant encryption efforts were implemented for the US throughout the Cold War and Vietnam War. We saw the emergence of encryption for the "Masses" with the evolution of the Cell Phone and Computer industries. Until the last few years, the US government forced all US Industries to provide the source code for all encryption to the US Government so they could engineer "Back Door" access through the encryption. As we saw the emergence of Triple DES and other technologies, the encryption methodologies have become extremely complex and quite difficult to break without the keys created between the two parties to the link; this is where the current hand ringing of the last few days for various Federal elected Office holders, non-elected civil servants and talking idiots of the press has come into play. Given sufficient time and computing power; any code can be broken - question is if the data is of any use after broken, or has it expired in usefulness. The Feds who want to peep through your windows, and listen at your key hole are demanding that all encryption on phones, computers, etc.. be configured to where they can see/hear it in real time. That is the crux of the discussion; and the root of the attack on personal Liberty and Freedom. Shall we accept the Government intrusion into our lives for reputed increases in public and individual safety, do we trust the Federal Government in this matter; or as a good friend is fond of saying: "Is this a Power you would give to your worst enemy?", for today your friend may be in power, but what about after the next election.

[TXGunNut]

I hear you.


Nowadays I just assume that anything I say on the phone or type in a text or online is read by someone, somewhere. I try to talk about liberty a lot. Maybe they'll listen.

Exactly! If it goes through the air or internet expect it to be intercepted. Expectation of privacy is quite misunderstood these days.

[Artful]

Exactly! If it goes through the air or internet expect it to be intercepted. Expectation of privacy is quite misunderstood these days.

But the thing is - with the amounts of data and by congress they are only supposed to monitor those who are suspects. Does this mean 1)his son is already on a watch list?
2) the coworker and wife are on a watch list or 3) any gun owner - NRA member - Former military vet - are all suspects.

[runfiverun]

number-3 is the answer.
there is a list of lists somewhere.
the patriot act is where all this started. [we gave up freedom for security]

anyway the good ol u s of a is bent at apple because their stuff is encrypted and they won't give up the key to the encryption code.

[MaryB]

Or it could be the fact schools monitor kids social media... including text messages in some systems... if a school asked for my kids social media passwords the answer would not be nice!