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Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Kosh on March 23, 2008, 05:20:31 am

Title: If your phone was suddenly tapped......
Post by: Kosh on March 23, 2008, 05:20:31 am
would you hear a click in the background?
Title: Re: If your phone was suddenly tapped......
Post by: Cyker on March 23, 2008, 05:25:46 am
Depends.

If some dude was physically attaching something to your circuit, then possibly, but there's millions of things that can cause clicks and chirps on a phoneline, esp. ****ty UK ones like mine (With the recent gale-force winds blowing the lines around on the telephone pole around for instance).

Modern proper taps would be nigh undetectable from your end because most modern exchanges are digital so any taps would be software.
Title: Re: If your phone was suddenly tapped......
Post by: Kosh on March 23, 2008, 05:44:34 am
Well I ask this because my mom called me from a landline (I have a cellphone) and a few minutes after pointing out McCain's similairity to an iguana we both heard a click that didn't sound "normal". If it was a tap I wouldn't be surprised since it was an outgoing international call.
Title: Re: If your phone was suddenly tapped......
Post by: MP-Ryan on March 23, 2008, 07:26:24 am
Well I ask this because my mom called me from a landline (I have a cellphone) and a few minutes after pointing out McCain's similairity to an iguana we both heard a click that didn't sound "normal". If it was a tap I wouldn't be surprised since it was an outgoing international call.

...which wouldn't be wiretapped unless you were under active investigation.  Not to mention, modern wiretapping doesn't actually involve a direct physical connection into the line that would produce a click AFAIK.

Monitoring equipment using heuristics to identify keywords and phrases doesn't operate in the same way a conventional wiretap does.  No click would occur.

Quit being so paranoid and just wave at CARNIVORE already =)
Title: Re: If your phone was suddenly tapped......
Post by: NGTM-1R on March 23, 2008, 07:34:49 am
I don't think they're going to  tap your phone for calling a canidate in iguana.
Title: Re: If your phone was suddenly tapped......
Post by: Mefustae on March 23, 2008, 08:53:22 am
I don't think they're going to  tap your phone for calling a canidate in iguana.
But then, thinking logically, it's easy to see why you might suspect it considering the name of a major political official was mentioned several times during an international call. Drop in a few inadvertent and unrelated red flag words, and you've got yourself a monitored phone call right there.
Title: Re: If your phone was suddenly tapped......
Post by: Colonol Dekker on March 23, 2008, 09:47:25 am
CARNIVORE is a web equivalant i assume :) ?
Title: Re: If your phone was suddenly tapped......
Post by: Rictor on March 23, 2008, 10:20:30 am
Here's a tip: sleep during the day and stay awake at night. 3:00am is prime door-knocking-down time. Also, keep whatever possessions you may need to take in a hurry stored conveniently in a back-pack.
Title: Re: If your phone was suddenly tapped......
Post by: Unknown Target on March 23, 2008, 11:30:07 am
Oh, yea, and if you're going to do all that, take some ant-paranoia pills while you're at it.
Title: Re: If your phone was suddenly tapped......
Post by: Polpolion on March 23, 2008, 01:54:26 pm
Don't forget to booby trap all of the doors with HIV hypodermics.
Title: Re: If your phone was suddenly tapped......
Post by: Hellstryker on March 23, 2008, 02:05:26 pm
Don't forget to booby trap all of the doors with HIV hypodermics.

ROFL thats cold...
Title: Re: If your phone was suddenly tapped......
Post by: Nuclear1 on March 23, 2008, 03:02:04 pm
:lol: :lol: :lol:
Title: Re: If your phone was suddenly tapped......
Post by: BloodEagle on March 23, 2008, 03:20:39 pm
Don't forget to booby trap all of the doors with HIV hypodermics.

I am so doing that from now on.
Title: Re: If your phone was suddenly tapped......
Post by: Fearless Leader on March 23, 2008, 06:06:39 pm
by posting this you have attracted the attention of the "them" to this forum :nervous:
Title: Re: If your phone was suddenly tapped......
Post by: Kosh on March 23, 2008, 08:35:37 pm
Oh, yea, and if you're going to do all that, take some ant-paranoia pills while you're at it.

Quote
...which wouldn't be wiretapped unless you were under active investigation.


@UT: So, I guess  the illegal surveillence (http://dir.salon.com/story/opinion/feature/2005/12/20/spying/) is just a paranoid delusion?
Title: Re: If your phone was suddenly tapped......
Post by: BlackDove on March 23, 2008, 08:38:40 pm
Best way is to talk with your mother again and repeat the keywords. See if it happens again.
Title: Re: If your phone was suddenly tapped......
Post by: Colonol Dekker on March 23, 2008, 10:13:26 pm
Your mum may be working for the CIA / NSA / KGB / MOD / DOD / MI5 /<rest of world agencies> for all you know :)
Title: Re: If your phone was suddenly tapped......
Post by: FUBAR-BDHR on March 24, 2008, 12:13:01 am
Seriously I can't believe no one has stated the obvious.  How would they no to tap your phone during the conversion when the key words were said unless it had already been tapped and monitored?
Title: Re: If your phone was suddenly tapped......
Post by: WMCoolmon on March 24, 2008, 12:31:56 am
Well I ask this because my mom called me from a landline (I have a cellphone) and a few minutes after pointing out McCain's similairity to an iguana we both heard a click that didn't sound "normal". If it was a tap I wouldn't be surprised since it was an outgoing international call.

I'd tap that ass






without a warrant.
Title: Re: If your phone was suddenly tapped......
Post by: MP-Ryan on March 24, 2008, 07:04:03 am
Seriously I can't believe no one has stated the obvious.  How would they no to tap your phone during the conversion when the key words were said unless it had already been tapped and monitored?

Actually, I (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,52873.msg1068548.html#msg1068548) said that =)

At any rate:

1. Modern professional wiretaps don't produce a click on the line (AFAIK, anyway).
2. Keyword monitoring through intercepts (which are not wiretaps) do not require physical connection to the line.

In short, unless some amateur is listening in on his phone line, Kosh is being paranoid.  Kosh, check your basement for creepy individuals with a Vorlon fetish.
Title: Re: If your phone was suddenly tapped......
Post by: Kosh on March 24, 2008, 08:43:36 am
Seriously I can't believe no one has stated the obvious.  How would they no to tap your phone during the conversion when the key words were said unless it had already been tapped and monitored?


Because of massive surveillence by the NSA of people NOT being investigated?
Title: Re: If your phone was suddenly tapped......
Post by: DeepSpace9er on March 24, 2008, 05:35:40 pm
Yeah, this isnt communist KGB Russia... There arent 20million people sitting around waiting to monitor phone calls. Phone calls that are 'monitored' arent really monitored by live people. The only time your call would be 'tapped,' more likely 'traced' would be with you were under investigation and it was an international call. Keywords would probably be transcribed automatically, and if it escalated to that point, eventually it would be monitored and even then thats unlikely.. it would probably be pre-recorded and played back. Even still, I dont think the government gives a **** about what grandma and grandpa are doing. Hell its not WW2 where their MAIL was opened and inspected by the government. Sheesh there just isnt the manpower or the resources to monitor the billion phone calls made in and out of this country every day.
Title: Re: If your phone was suddenly tapped......
Post by: Kosh on March 24, 2008, 11:44:40 pm
Quote
Sheesh there just isnt the manpower or the resources to monitor the billion phone calls made in and out of this country every day.

If it's all automated there wouldn't be a need for a large numbers of people to do it. Ever heard of the  Echelon System (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/09/06/eu_releases_echelon_spying_report/)? That's just one example. The NSA does have  the ability to use data mining techniques to evesdrop (http://www.aclu.org/safefree/nsaspying/23989res20060131.html) on millions of people's phone calls.   
Title: Re: If your phone was suddenly tapped......
Post by: FUBAR-BDHR on March 25, 2008, 01:02:36 am
Anyone notice that since this thread has been going on political adds have started popping up on HLP?  Just saw one for a PBS show on Bush.  Not only do we have to worry about the Echelon system but the all powerful Google. 
Title: Re: If your phone was suddenly tapped......
Post by: NGTM-1R on March 25, 2008, 10:52:59 am
Frankly, I'd worry about Google more. They're actually competent.