Edward Snowden BBC interview: 'Smartphones can be taken over'

[Bill Ryan]

.
From http://bbc.com/news/uk-34444233, today:

Edward Snowden interview:
'Smartphones can be taken over'


Smartphone users can do "very little" to stop security services getting "total control" over their devices, US whistleblower Edward Snowden has said.

The former intelligence contractor told the BBC's Panorama that UK intelligence agency GCHQ had the power to hack into phones without their owners' knowledge.

Mr Snowden said GCHQ could gain access to a handset by sending it an encrypted text message and use it for such things as taking pictures and listening in.

The UK government declined to comment.

Mr Snowden spoke to Panorama in Moscow, where he fled in 2013 after leaking to the media details of extensive internet and phone surveillance by his former employer, the US National Security Agency (NSA).

He did not suggest that either GCHQ or the NSA were interested in mass-monitoring of citizens' private communications but said both agencies had invested heavily in technology allowing them to hack smartphones. "They want to own your phone instead of you," he said.
Mr Snowden talked about GCHQ's "Smurf Suite", a collection of secret intercept capabilities individually named after the little blue imps of Belgian cartoon fame.

"Dreamy Smurf is the power management tool which means turning your phone on and off with you knowing," he said.

"Nosey Smurf is the 'hot mic' tool. For example if it's in your pocket, [GCHQ] can turn the microphone on and listen to everything that's going on around you - even if your phone is switched off because they've got the other tools for turning it on.

"Tracker Smurf is a geo-location tool which allows [GCHQ] to follow you with a greater precision than you would get from the typical triangulation of cellphone towers."

Mr Snowden also referred to a tool known as Paronoid Smurf.

"It's a self-protection tool that's used to armour [GCHQ's] manipulation of your phone. For example, if you wanted to take the phone in to get it serviced because you saw something strange going on or you suspected something was wrong, it makes it much more difficult for any technician to realise that anything's gone amiss."

Once GCHQ had gained access to a user's handset, Mr Snowden said the agency would be able to see "who you call, what you've texted, the things you've browsed, the list of your contacts, the places you've been, the wireless networks that your phone is associated with.
"And they can do much more. They can photograph you".

Mr Snowden also explained that the SMS message sent by the agency to gain access to the phone would pass unnoticed by the handset's owner.

"It's called an 'exploit'," he said. "That's a specially crafted message that's texted to your number like any other text message but when it arrives at your phone it's hidden from you. It doesn't display. You paid for it [the phone] but whoever controls the software owns the phone."

Describing the relationship between GCHQ and its US counterpart, he said: "GCHQ is to all intents and purposes a subsidiary of the NSA.

"They [the NSA] provide technology, they provide tasking and direction as to what they [GCHQ] should go after."

The NSA is understood to have a similar programme to the Smurf Suite used by GCHQ on which it is reported to have spent $1bn in response to terrorists' increasing use of smartphones.

Mr Snowden said the agencies were targeting those suspected of involvement in terrorism or other serious crimes such as paedophilia "but to find out who those targets are they've got to collect mass data".

"They say, and in many cases this is true, that they're not going to read your email, for example, but they can and if they did you would never know," he said.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the UK government said: "It is long-standing policy that we do not comment on intelligence matters.

"All of GCHQ's work is carried out in accordance with a strict legal and policy framework, which ensures that our activities are authorised, necessary and proportionate, and that there is rigorous oversight, including from the secretary of state, the interception and intelligence services commissioners and the Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee. All our operational processes rigorously support this position."

The government believes Mr Snowden has caused great damage to the intelligence agencies' ability to counter threats to national security.

Mr Snowden maintains he has acted in the public interest on the grounds that the surveillance activities revealed in the thousands of documents he leaked are carried out - in his words - "without our knowledge, without our consent and without any sort of democratic participation".

[sandy]

Not sure of the agenda of the BBC and Snowden in airing this on public media??? Is it be afraid, being very afraid!!

[Cidersomerset]

http://static.bbci.co.uk/frameworks/barlesque/2.88.1/orb/4/img/bbc-blocks-dark.png

Edward Snowden interview: 'Smartphones can be taken over'

By Peter Taylor
BBC News
1 hour ago.... From the section UK

http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/181B/production/_85917160_snowdenint.jpg

Smartphone users can do "very little" to stop security services getting "total
control" over their devices, US whistleblower Edward Snowden has said.

The former intelligence contractor told the BBC's Panorama that UK intelligence
agency GCHQ had the power to hack into phones without their owners' knowledge.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06h7j3b

Mr Snowden said GCHQ could gain access to a handset by sending it an encrypted
text message and use it for such things as taking pictures and listening in.

The UK government declined to comment.

Read More.....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34444233

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Re: Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind the NSA surveillance revelations


http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?59919-Edward-Snowden-the-whistleblower-behind-the-NSA-surveillance-revelations&p=1006689&viewfull=1#post1006689

====================================================
====================================================


' NOSEY SMURF '....

Edward Snowden interview: 'Smartphones can be taken over'

Ng_dBm73FfA

Published on 5 Oct 2015

Smartphone users can do "very little" to stop security services getting "total
control" over their devices, US whistleblower Edward Snowden has said.
The former intelligence contractor told the BBC's Panorama that UK intelligence
agency GCHQ had the power to hack into phones without their owners' knowledge.
Mr Snowden said GCHQ could gain access to a handset by sending it an encrypted
text message and use it for such things as taking pictures and listening in.
The UK government declined to comment.

'Nosey Smurf'
Mr Snowden spoke to Panorama in Moscow, where he fled in 2013 after leaking to
the media details of extensive internet and phone surveillance by his former
employer, the US National Security Agency (NSA).

He did not suggest that either GCHQ or the NSA were interested in mass-
monitoring of citizens' private communications but said both agencies had invested
heavily in technology allowing them to hack smartphones. "They want to own your
phone instead of you," he said.

[Cardillac]

anything anymore can be intercepted and taken over/controlled; even before we had home PCs personal data privacy/security was a joke; a former friend of mine here in Germany who worked for the welfare dept. in a large city in the Ruhr area looong before we had home PCs told me because of his job he could find out anything about anybody at any time; I don't want to bore anyone with the details but I was simply curious about the owner of a certain car (it's a long involved story) and after giving him the liscence plate nr. the next day he gave me the name/address/tel. nr. of the owner- and that was way back in 1996-

be well all-

Larry

[Gaia]

Same Old/New from Snowden... But still very accurate!

www.propublica.org/article/spy-agencies-probe-angry-birds-and-other-apps-for-personal-data

[Cidersomerset]

Not sure of the agenda of the BBC and Snowden in airing this on public
media??? Is it be afraid, being very afraid!!

Nothing to be afraid of Sandy, Knowledge is power and something the elite
have known for millennia, hence 'illuminati' which is only the enlightened ones .
Now we have access to knowledge we can all have power to a degree. The BBC
have done some excellent docs in the past and also some not so good . The
BBC is still an organ of government propaganda at times. It will be interesting to
hear Snowdens reaction to the programme.

[Bill Ryan]

Not sure of the agenda of the BBC and Snowden in airing this on public media??? Is it be afraid, being very afraid!!

I think this is a good thing. BBC's Panorama is the UK equivalent of 60 Minutes on CBS... very high profile, with heavyweight, serious reporting.

[Gaia]

Not sure of the agenda of the BBC and Snowden in airing this on public media??? Is it be afraid, being very afraid!!

I think this is a good thing. BBC's Panorama is the UK equivalent of 60 Minutes on CBS... very high profile, with heavyweight, serious reporting.

I think the world in unaware of what going on right now! Yes indeed, it's a good thing that Snowden pass his message during prime time tv.

[greybeard]

I watched the program tonight and it was I think fairly presented.
Snowdon came across as credible and I believe that he did what he did for the right reasons.

Chris

[Cidersomerset]

I watched the program tonight and it was I think fairly presented.
Snowdon came across as credible and I believe that he did what he did for the right reasons.

Chris

My thoughts as well Chris , it certainly was not a 'hit piece' imo either......

[Gaia]

I watched the program tonight and it was I think fairly presented.
Snowdon came across as credible and I believe that he did what he did for the right reasons.

Chris

My thoughts as well Chris , it certainly was not a 'hit piece' imo either......

Snowden gave a ''hit piece'' last February at Upper Canada College :)

[Carmody]

This is why I have a cheap phone, that is never left plugged in and charging, as that is a recipe for snooping, as any power loss is not noticed.

I don't give out my cell number and I don't really carry the phone with me.

It also has the ability to have the battery removed, easily and quickly, and repeatedly, without suffering damage (easy to remove back cover which can last for very many removal/closure cycles)

When i do use the phone, I use it very simply, and then remove the battery again.

I don't live on my cell phone, I barely touch the damn thing.

[Adi]

The information that Snowden has stated, comes as no shock or surprise to me. It seems increasingly factual that the technology exists, which is far more superior in comparison to smart phone hacking, according to various testimony etc, that can monitor and analyze your movements 24/7 and to a very high degree, if the need be. I imagine that the agencies or whom ever is at the controls of such technology, are very capable and proficient at carrying out such tasks to a high level of precision.

Snowdens information has of course been eye opening for many people and one would assume that it carries with it a high level of value and progressiveness, in the search for truth and clarity.


Adi

[Selene]

Heck, Carmody, all of the above is the reason I don't have a cell phone at all. :blushing: Strange, but true.

This confuses "them" as I travel extensively around the world, or around my own neighborhood.... deliberately, on my part. Frock 'em if they can't take a joke. I can still function perfectly without being attached to a tether. :sun:

Silence is wonderful.

Cheers

Selene

[sandy]

I don't have a cell phone either Selene so you are not alone . :)

My concern in the end is social engineering. One tends to watch their P's and Q's more and obfuscate the truth for political correctness when someone is watching and listening to every word and action. Fear makes one tow the line .........

I do see the value in the knowledge of the surveillance levels we are under and with that a possibility that a few more fellow Beings awaken after seeing one of these types of informative programs.

[Michelle Marie]

This is why I have a cheap phone, that is never left plugged in and charging, as that is a recipe for snooping, as any power loss is not noticed.

I don't give out my cell number and I don't really carry the phone with me.

It also has the ability to have the battery removed, easily and quickly, and repeatedly, without suffering damage (easy to remove back cover which can last for very many removal/closure cycles)

When i do use the phone, I use it very simply, and then remove the battery again.

I don't live on my cell phone, I barely touch the damn thing.

That's a good idea...taking the battery out when not in use. I have a dumb phone and I don't do text. I don't have cell service where I live. Great sharing! Thanks!

Loads of love,
Michelle Marie

[Elainie]

I don't own a cell either~ no thank you.

[Citizen No2]

Removing the battery is pointless as a security measure.

A wireless signal can be beamed to your phone to power it if the battery is either flat or removed. If you are so minded, you need to remove the battery and the chip when not in use. The older, non-net-connectable phones, are a safer bet if you have security on your mind. These can be cell-sited to within 500 mtrs of the nearest tower......... so puts you in an approximate area. It is when all the other meta-data is added to the picture, i.e. cctv footage, bank cards, travel cards, etc, etc, that the observer builds a full suite of information on your movements, contacts and purchases. The meta-facts.

And as we all should know, meta-facts can be used to support whatever scenario suits the observer.



Regards.

[ThePythonicCow]

Removing the battery is pointless as a security measure.

A wireless signal can be beamed to your phone to power it if the battery is either flat or removed.
The existence of wireless power source technology does not necessarily mean to me that that technology is in the typical smart phone, and covertly usable, on a large scale.

Your statement that removing the battery is pointless suggests to me that you claiming that such wireless power technology is so ubiquitous that pretty much all smart phones can be and in practice are currently being tracked the same whether the battery is installed or not. That would surprise me ... do you have evidence that such is the case, and if so, can you share that evidence with us ?

[Citizen No2]

Hi Paul,

yes I do have evidence, both personal and anecdotal.

In Mark Bowden's book, Killing Pablo, there is an interesting paragraph regarding the CIA/DEA and a portable piece of equipment that was placed in a Cessena aircraft and flown above Medellin. This piece of equipment was able to power up a mobile phone that had either it's battery removed, or was switched off, and used the phone as a microphone. This was in 1992.

I won't delve too much into my personal experience, suffice to say, I have seen what is termed a 'spider-web', i.e. all the surveillance data printed out and linked together, like you see in films, and pinned to a board. Then there was the 'phone forensics'....... which I still have. Bundles and bundles of printed out phone conversations and text messages. One point of interest. Your text messages can only be retrieved up to three months prior........

Until that spot-light is focussed on you, you don't really have an idea of how pervasive surveillance can be. I bet most of you would like to think that if you were under surveillance you would catch on to it, be able to give them the slip........ not so.

Regards.


To add:

There is also the case of 'the spy-in-the-bag', Gareth Edwards. I have mentioned this several times, and I am sorry that I can add no proof, but.......... one of the projects he was working on was a piece of tech, small enough to carry, that could completely take over your phone and suck all data out of it, without the use of a wireless network or signal. Just think about the switch from analogue to digital and why there was such a push for this......... our signals now fly through the air, to be intercepted by whoever has the means, and the means are cheap. In the analogue days you had to physically place a tap on a cable......... not now. The modern day smart phone is one step away from a direct-plant microchip.

[Isserley]

We ourselves created a problem consigning too much importance to smart phones and similar toys. Some people have their entire lives moved and relied to a piece of device.
We allowed ourselves too much dependence on baby soother/pacifier and now when they want to take it away, we will cry..
http://images.medicaldaily.com/sites/medicaldaily.com/files/styles/headline/public/2014/09/09/crying-babies-need-be-handled-mentally-healthy-mom.jpg

[EarthMan]

This supports exactly what Henry Deacon said in his Project Camelot interview and adds credibility to his story. To refresh, he said "the only way to stop your mobile being used to spy on you is to remove the battery" if I remember correctly.

Also beware of your Smart televisions a reported quote from Samsung’s terms and conditions says it all: “Please be aware that if your spoken words include personal or other sensitive information, that information will be among the data captured and transmitted to a third party through your use of Voice Recognition.”

[Cidersomerset]

Article from the headline page.....

Snowden: GCHQ Can Secretly Take ‘Total Control’ Over Your Smartphone

By David Icke on 6th October 2015 Big Brother


http://www.davidicke.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Untitled-190.jpg

SPUTNICK NEWS.....

Europe
22:32 05.10.2015(updated 01:49 06.10.2015)

‘British intelligence agency Government Communications Headquarters can take
“total control” of a smartphone without its user’s knowledge, said former NSA
contractor turned whistleblower Edward Snowden.

Snowden told the BBC’s Panorama that GCHQ could gain access to a handset by
sending it an encrypted text message and use it for such things as taking pictures
and listening in.

Both the GCHQ and NSA have invested heavily in technology allowing them to hack
smartphones, he added, saying the agencies “want to own your phone instead of you.”

GCHQ controls phones using the agency’s “Smurf Suite,” a collection of secret
intercept capabilities individually named after the tiny blue cartoon characters.’

Read more: Snowden: GCHQ Can Secretly Take ‘Total Control’ Over Your Smartphone


http://sputniknews.com/europe/20151005/1028067360/snowden-gchq-smartphone-nsa.html

[Cidersomerset]

Its only relatively recently , a decade or so that I have embraced some of
this technology. But I'm a dinosaur compared to the younger generation
coming into this reality. Like most of us I dreamed of living in the 'Star Trek'
universe or similar 'utopian' future. But as we have seen and experienced
thru age , its a double edged sword that could also bring forth a 'Hunger Games'
or terminator style dystopian future.......

Not sure when this was made but even the concepts they are discussing are
being developed.

Star Trek Gadgets and Technology Documentary | Fact or Myth | Geographic TV

y7gbJqOPjaM

Published on 26 Aug 2015
Star Trek Gadgets and Technology Documentary | Fact or Myth | Geographic TV.



===============================================

As today's children are practically born digital, it comes as no surprise that this
generation is the most tech-savvy yet.

http://img.sxsw.com/2013/spg_images/IAP6493.png

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https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/p/1/005/04f/0dd/3859f02.jpg

================================================

Thomas Suarez: A 12-year-old app developer

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Published on 24 Oct 2012


Most 12-year-olds love playing videogames -- Thomas Suarez taught
himself how to create them. After developing iPhone apps like
"Bustin Jeiber," a whack-a-mole game, he is now using his skills to
help other kids become developers. (Filmed at TEDxManhattanBeach.)

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances
from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and
doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks
on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business,
global issues, the arts and much more.
Find closed captions and translated subtitles in many languages at http://www.ted.com/translate

============================================

17-year-old sells app to Yahoo! for $30 million

gtjW6odrvz0

Published on 28 Mar 2013
Nick D'Aloisio shares the story around his app. "Summly," which was
recently purchased by Yahoo! For more CNN videos, visit our site at http://www.cnn.com/video/

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http://www.techlicious.com/images/phones/girls-text-messaging-shutterstock-510px.jpg

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http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/02/16/25B5A76900000578-2954622-The_modern_day_Friends_stars_have_a_brand_new_favourite_locale_t-a-22_1424114935878.jpg

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Back to Star Trek .....


8aTsmhAUg1k


5 Star Trek Gadgets That Became Real | What the Stuff?!

WZFkZzScknc

Published on 2 Feb 2015

Jonathan dishes out some Star Trek tech that exists today. Live long and prosper!

10 Star Trek Technologies That Actually Came True:
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/...

[Bubu]

Removing the battery is pointless as a security measure.

A wireless signal can be beamed to your phone to power it if the battery is either flat or removed. If you are so minded, you need to remove the battery and the chip when not in use. The older, non-net-connectable phones, are a safer bet if you have security on your mind. These can be cell-sited to within 500 mtrs of the nearest tower......... so puts you in an approximate area. It is when all the other meta-data is added to the picture, i.e. cctv footage, bank cards, travel cards, etc, etc, that the observer builds a full suite of information on your movements, contacts and purchases. The meta-facts.

And as we all should know, meta-facts can be used to support whatever scenario suits the observer.



Regards.

wow !!!! you mean the energy beam can also find the positive and the negative terminals..... Nikola Tesla transmits power through the air but its not the kind that electrocutes otherwise we will all be roasted

[Clear Light]

FYI : Although not directly related to the specific context of this thread the following two 'news' articles (6th Oct) do relate to the 'fall-out' from Snowden's revelations in general IMO.

Independent UK : European court rules 'Safe Harbour' treaty that saw Facebook hand over user data to US is invalid, after challenge by student (http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/european-court-rules-safe-harbour-treaty-that-saw-facebook-hand-over-user-data-to-us-is-invalid-a6681291.html)

Quote : "The European Court of Justice *may* have put an end to a deal that allowed Facebook to share data on its users with US spy officials".

BBC News : Facebook data transfers threatened by Safe Harbour ruling (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-34442618)

Quote : "The ruling was the result of a legal challenge by an Austrian privacy campaigner concerned that the social network *might* be sharing European's personal data with US cyberspies".

Oh, for what it's worth, IMO, what Snowden has done is to have forced the Intelligence Services into greater Public Accountability (i.e. accountable to us) ... although, that being said, I hold no illusions that they will do whatever they can in certain situations (irrespective of any Laws) to get the Information they want !

[sunpaw]

Since so many people complained the refugees are rather terrorists in disguise and they all carry smartphones - everything is under control.
Thanks to Snowden and BBC and blue beings: smurfs.

[Helvetic]

This makes it a little bit harder for them to crack your phone.

http://www.silentcircle.com/uploads/misc/SilentCircleMarketingResources_Sep2015.pdf

[Nick Matkin]

Removing the battery is pointless as a security measure.

A wireless signal can be beamed to your phone to power it if the battery is either flat or removed. If you are so minded, you need to remove the battery and the chip when not in use. The older, non-net-connectable phones, are a safer bet if you have security on your mind. These can be cell-sited to within 500 mtrs of the nearest tower......... so puts you in an approximate area. It is when all the other meta-data is added to the picture, i.e. cctv footage, bank cards, travel cards, etc, etc, that the observer builds a full suite of information on your movements, contacts and purchases. The meta-facts.

And as we all should know, meta-facts can be used to support whatever scenario suits the observer.

Regards.

As an RF engineer of over 30 years, I'm not at all convinced about this operating a phone even with no or flat battery - this information really need some technical details.

A phone isn't big enough to pick up enough energy to operate it - even partly - unless it is very close to a very strong EM source (eg: the way your electric toothbrush gets charged in the holder.) If TPTB start beaming large amounts of energy around in an already crowed EM spectrum, someone is definitely going to notice!

And in any case, there is no device in a phone that is designed to do this. It would need to be placed a strong AC field; the phone would need a pick-up coil, rectification and voltage stabilization components. Anyone familiar with the 'gibblets' of phone will tell you these items are not there, although some modern phones are constructed (or will be) to use the very close-field charging design where you drop your phone onto a pad and it charges the battery like your electric toothbrush gets charged. That's not a secret feature - it's a selling point!

The other info about switching on the microphone, finding its location I'm sure are true. But 'they' would soon get bored doing that to me, but that's not the point.

There are some interesting 10-minute TED talks describing the state's creeping surveillance ability and how we can to some extent counter it.

Incidentally, when the UK was changing from the old mechanical Strowger telephone exchanges to the all-electronic System-X exchanges in the late 1970s and into the 80s, it was no secret amongst engineers that ease of surveillance was a key requirement in the design of the new equipment. All related to ECHELON...

I'm surprised anyone should be surprised by all this.

[Citizen No2]

Good info there Nick.

I know nothing about electronics per se, all I am passing on is my own experience. My father, amongst other things, was 13 Signals for a few years and I specifically remember him telling me that no public communication system is put in place without first having the 'back door snooping' capability built in to it........ this was also confirmed by another family member. It is now easier than ever as our info is beamed from relay tower to relay tower, but I know that this is not news to most here. I do not have a smart phone or smart television, and have no intention in getting them. I am just waiting until they come knocking regarding smart meters!

It is interesting that you mention ECHELON Nick.

Ta add: Has anyone (UK) watched the programme, Hunted? If not, give it a watch on catch-up service. The techniques used to track are so, so easy in this digital age..... and that is only what they are prepared to show us on national television. Total access to all cctv systems, email and phone...... hell, last week they even cloned one of the target's mobile phone and caught him within hours of him hitting a new city.

Mind you, over stating your abilities is a powerful weapon in itself.


Regards.

[MalteseKnight]

Perhaps if we all became a little more psychic, we wouldn't have to use the damn things(mobile phones). That would really be the next step in our evolution :blushing:

MK

[norman]

Not sure of the agenda of the BBC and Snowden in airing this on public media??? Is it be afraid, being very afraid!!

I think this is a good thing. BBC's Panorama is the UK equivalent of 60 Minutes on CBS... very high profile, with heavyweight, serious reporting.


It's true that Panorama is heavyweight, but I'm more than 90% certain that I know at least one high flier who passed through the production ranks of Panorama to pop out as a big shot news anchor and general public face nowadays, who is a multi-generational MI6/secret service sleeper/operative. This is an old story in my own life that goes way back to when I believe an attempt was made to recruit me as a useful idiot/patsy during my art college days. Nearly 40 years later, the dots are falling into place.

None the less, if the public know their phones are remote controlled, I suppose that's a good thing, but I suspect the 'awareness' campaign is intended for those who are below the general threshold of personal sovereignty realisation and will absorb it only as a pacifier or psychological prison chain.

[ThePythonicCow]

Removing the battery is pointless as a security measure.

A wireless signal can be beamed to your phone to power it if the battery is either flat or removed.
The existence of wireless power source technology does not necessarily mean to me that that technology is in the typical smart phone, and covertly usable, on a large scale.

Your statement that removing the battery is pointless suggests to me that you claiming that such wireless power technology is so ubiquitous that pretty much all smart phones can be and in practice are currently being tracked the same whether the battery is installed or not. That would surprise me ... do you have evidence that such is the case, and if so, can you share that evidence with us ?


Hi Paul,

yes I do have evidence, both personal and anecdotal.
Yes, I am willing to consider that phones can be powered remotely, wirelessly, without their battery in place.

My point was more subtle (or perhaps more obscure <grin>.) If such remote phone powering is only done sometimes, then there would be a point to removing one's phone battery, because perhaps remote powering was not being used on one's own phone, at that time.

My current presumption is that remote powering is not something that can be done en masse, on a billion cell phones, world wide, all the time, but rather something that requires more specialized and focused application of targeted technology. If that is the case, removing the battery at least dramatically lowers the risk of bulk data collection picking up that potential data stream.

[ThePythonicCow]

As an RF engineer of over 30 years, I'm not at all convinced about this operating a phone even with no or flat battery - this information really need some technical details.
I was willing, in my previous post just above, to consider that remote phone powering could be done.

But if I had place a bet one way or the other, I'd wager your description is closer to correct, Nick. Without dedicated pickup coils and such, in the phone, it would require intense radiation, under optimal conditions ... sufficient to roast one's backside and requiring that one be practically chained, immobilized, to the power source, and only work with some phones at that :).

[T Smith]

Question to the tech savvy who have more of a thorough grasp of this technology and its capabilities... why even mess with the battery? Can't we avoid all the surveillance, hacking, and snooping by simply enclosing our smart phones in a faraday cage?

Seems pretty simple... what am I missing?

[Nick Matkin]

Question to the tech savvy who have more of a thorough grasp of this technology and its capabilities... why even mess with the battery? Can't we avoid all the surveillance, hacking, and snooping by simply enclosing our smart phones in a faraday cage?

Seems pretty simple... what am I missing?

Exactly! If I were worried that my tedious communications about being stuck in traffic or the fact that I could be located standing in front of the Fair Trade coffee shelf in Tesco could be acquired by Big Brother, all I'd do is wrap my phone tin tin foil. It is that easy!

So if you are planning to overthrow your government, or just passing on conspiracy stuff that TPTB would probably prefer not to be passed on (and they are already watching you anyway...) then make it a bit harder for them by wrapping your phone in tin (aluminium) foil. It will make using it harder/slower to use because each time you unwrap it the phone has to locate itself in the network and try and download all messages. And if THEY want to know where you are, that act will tell them.

I guess it just means the phone can't be used to find out where you've been or controlled while in its metal wrapper.

Someone, somewhere on a conspiracy website is probably selling such screening pouches.

Later edit:

Just checked; at least one company (https://www.blockitpocket.com/why-block-it-pagecat.html?cPath=146)already is! (But they also sell sell tin foil hats (https://www.blockitpocket.com/block-it-hat-block-it-hat-our-products-prod.html?products_id=38043&amp;cPath=959_965too) for $60.)

[Nick Matkin]

But if I had place a bet one way or the other, I'd wager your description is closer to correct, Nick. Without dedicated pickup coils and such, in the phone, it would require intense radiation, under optimal conditions ... sufficient to roast one's backside and requiring that one be practically chained, immobilized, to the power source, and only work with some phones at that :).

There would also be required careful screening of the other parts of the phone as bombarding electronics with high-levels of EM radiation will simply burn components out - whether the device is powered-up or not.

If anyone doubts this, simply put a small radio, digital watch or phone into a microwave oven and see what happens! The oven doesn't even need to be on high power.

(Top tip; don't really try this - for obvious reasons!)

[norman]

If a phone has a voltage amplifier circuit piggibacked onto the antenna, I wonder if it's possible to charge a capacitor from emf to a capacity large enough to switch the phone on and transmit a small data package?