# All major smartphones are spying devices



## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

NSA can access BlackBerry, Android, iPhone data, report says

"The U.S. National Security Agency is able to crack protective measures on iPhones, BlackBerry and Android devices, giving it access to users' data on all major smartphones, according to a report Sunday in German news weekly Der Spiegel."

This is something I suspected for a long time but it's nice to see it confirmed. Also the iPhone is basically the government's flagship spying device, it seems.

So I've got to wonder, how can any lawyer or judge comfortably use a smart phone now? What if the lawyer/judge is involved in any kind of action involving the government... how do they know their activities aren't being monitored with this spy tool?

For anyone involved in political activism, or even opposition parties to the government, it's clear that their smartphones are a liability.

Also I hope that Apple, or maybe the estate of Steve Jobs, sues the government for defamation, harming legacy, harming the brand, etc. Google should be suing them too. This is really, really bad for American business.

Will Blackberry also be suing the US Government, for the damage to Blackberry reputation and business? I mean I thought the whole reason for the Blackberry was it's supposed to give secure communications, right?

Even *kids* have been sued in the past for circumventing digital locks protecting movies & audio. Surely the government has made a much more serious violation here, hacking technologies like Blackberry's... those are locks meant to protect very sensitive private and business material. So we should be seeing lawsuits all over the place right? I can't take Apple, Google, or Blackberry seriously if they aren't willing to protect their technologies.


----------



## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

This is an interesting time. Now that people are coming to be aware that the government is actively collecting supposedly private information without legal authorization (ie, a warrant), will we see sufficient public outrage to change this? Or will people be complacent, thinking that the information collected couldn't possibly be used against them?

I don't think people realize how dangerous a surveillance state is. Even if you are comfortable with the current regime knowing everything about them, regimes change sometimes unexpectedly. You may be comfortable, for instance, with Obama having the power to function as judge, jury and executioner with the US drone fleet, even against American citizens. Are you comfortable with any possible future president having that power? I find that terrifying. Never mind that power corrupts, and this surveillance state gives great power to the shadowy figures that control it and operate with zero oversight.


----------



## MRT (Apr 8, 2013)

people need to stop trusting companies and gov'ts with their information. From smartphones to Facebook to ISPs, your information is NEVER 100% secure. The move to cloud computing should be a concern as well.

In our society, it is very difficutl to escape it all...but limiting what information you put online or transmit electronically is a smart start.


----------



## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

Is that realistic, short of giving up all forms of telecommunication?

Regardless of what the government claims, you'd have to assume that all phone communication is similarly monitored. Maybe snail mail is still secure, in that physical tampering is difficult and expensive. Everything else can be automated. If they're hacking your phone, they can remotely turn on the microphone to eavesdrop on your offline conversations as well.


----------



## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Agreed, can't really avoid data. You can't avoid using phones either. There is no such thing as a non-smartphone any more either... even the cheap phone I have still has audio/video capabilities and the ability to run software. All phones can run code now.

So it's not like you can just "opt out" of being subjected to government monitoring, unless you're talking about living without a mobile phone or the internet. In today's world that would probably remove you from the job market.

Yes, I agree, have to assume all phone calls are monitored and they have records of WHO you interact with, how often, etc.


----------



## fatcat (Nov 11, 2009)

most people don't care about this stuff, the majority don't care enough to really change or complain and learn more
but a small and highly vocal minority does care and they (we) can make a big difference

people always think "i have nothing to hide" .. "i'm not political"

but it is stupidity and mistakes and bureaucratic incompetence that can have anyone's door kicked down in the middle of the night
and the government almost never say "we're sorry" or makes people whole until they fight sometimes for years

the "i have nothing to hide" line is pure unadulterated bs and demonstrates political naiveté and extreme ignorance of 

on a side note, i have wondered whether apple will change their design to allow the battery to be removed from the phone
i _think_ (but am not even totally sure) that a battery-less phone is pretty much safe

edward snowden had all his guests leave their phones in his refrigerator when they came to his apartment


----------



## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

Some believe this story is disinfo aimed at getting people to not bother using security precautions since they "know" they are futile. Thus making it easier for the NSA to hack them.

Windows and Google rolled over years ago and handed their clients info over to the NSA. Blackberry is the only phone approved by the US govt as secure including the president's secret service detail.


----------



## sags (May 15, 2010)

First they restricted US citizen's rights within the Constitution, by enacting the Patriot Act.

Then they spy on everybody all the time.

Anyone who doesn't see where this is heading............needs to get their head out of their arse.


----------



## sags (May 15, 2010)

There have been some interesting stories that China has been caught with software buried in computers, and it is suspected they have imbedded software into the computing systems that operate nuclear plants, water plants, and probably smart phones, They can use the software to gain "back door" access to information, should the need arise.

Some defense analysts, and previous directors of agencies, have expressed grave concerns that the US military also purchased a lot of computer parts and parts that have software imbedded in them.........that originate from China.

The concern is that if hostilities were to break out between the US and China, the US may find their military systems shut down.

I would assume that the information the NSA has...........the Chinese probably have as well.


----------



## indexxx (Oct 31, 2011)

"Paranoia, self-destroyer"...

- The Kinks


----------

