Stingray

[Brogan]

I think this is the first I've read of the Stingray device being officially mentioned.

It reveals how US authorities obtained a warrant to grant access to GPS and historic location data on the phone, registered under the name "G Max".

The FBI then obtained a further warrant to use a "stingray" device to send and receive signals from nearby phones.

The size of a briefcase, the technology helps to give a more accurate location of a phone and identifying information.

But the method is controversial as it can also gather information about the phones of bystanders nearby.

People used to laugh when I told them their mobile phones could be activated remotely and audio could be picked up from the mic and video from the lens.

The same people who didn't believe their monitor/laptop camera could be used for remote monitoring.

FBI found Ghislaine Maxwell using mobile phone data

Agents were able to pinpoint Ms Maxwell’s exact location, using GPS technology.

www.bbc.com

 

[Titch]

I am paranoid about online spying via my computer and tablet camera’s.. So much so that I put tape over my computer lens.. Audio spying has only started to impinge on me recently. Mostly after a conversation I was having with a daughter turned up in garbled form on messages waiting to be sent to the last person I messaged. I haven’t enabled any voice commands on any of my devices.