Your Cell Phone Is A Homing Beacon

Last night was a pretty typical weeknight at my				method within the wirelessindustry, said Michael
home, I drove home from workand filled up with				Barker, an equipment sales manager for Cell-Loc,
gas before I got home, I left my house again at				based in
around 5:30to take my son to his Karate lesson.				Calgary, Alberta. His company provides tracking
While I was out I stopped by the locallibrary to				services to help people who areincapacitated and
return some books and then swung over to the				unable to dial for help.and out of cell tower range.
dry cleaners to pick upmy shirts and slacks and				According to Slate, Location data extrapolated
some stuff for my wife. I picked up my son				from tower records is frequentlyused in criminal
from hislesson and we stopped off at the				cases. It was vital, for example, to the
grocery store to pick up some bread and milk				prosecution of David
onour way back to the house.				Westerfield, who was convicted of murdering
Click to Get Best Reverse Phone Number Trace				7-year-old Danielle van Dam in San
Service				Diego. The killer's cell-phone usage revealed a
Now, you aren’t the first people to know my				bizarre travel pattern in thetwo days following the
whereabouts that night. Because Ihad my cellular				girl's disappearance, including a suspicious trip to
phone with me, the cell phone company that				thedesert. In cases like this, wireless providers will
provides my cellularservices knew where I was at				not release a user's recordswithout a court order,
the entire time. They tracked me with my				save for rare instances in which a kidnapping has
cellulartelephone.				takenplace and time is of the essence.
How is this possible?				Domestic crime is not the only arena of law
It is possible because people who use their cell				enforcement that is utilizing thetracking of mobile
phone need to be able to make acall whenever				phone signals, the FBI and CIA have been using
and wherever they may be located at the time				this techniquein an effort to capture public enemy
they dial the numberon their phone. Therefore,				number one: Osama Bin Laden.
the cellular companies must be able to route the				Author Dan Campbell, writing in the October 2001
callto the nearest cellular tower, which in turn				issue of Telepolis Magazine,describes how the
sends your call to the satellite inspace, which				world’s most wanted man, coordinated his
sends your signal to the person you are calling.				attacks via hismobile phone.
The tower thathandled the call is typically logged				“Between 1996 and 1998, when the
(and stored indefinitely) on the wirelessprovider's				America's embassy in Kenya was bombed, the
computers, though it's not noted on the				FBIfound that Osama bin Laden and his staff had
customer's monthly bill. Inorder for the cell phone				spent nearly 40 hours makingsatellite phone calls
company to know what tower you are at, they				from the mountains of Afghanistan. The calls,
must beable to track the signal from your cell				which can besent and received from a special
phone when it is on.				phone the size of a laptop computer, wererelayed
In the expanded age of advanced communication				via a commercial satellite to sympathizers in the
and the literally thousands ofissues of privacy that				west.
it has since spawned, many people would be				Click to Get Best Reverse Phone Number Trace
horrified tolearn that they can be tracked by the				Service
phone company via their mobile phone. Thephone				The satellite phone appears to have been a huge
companies claim this is a integral part of the				convenience for the world's mostwanted terrorist.
service they provide,privacy advocates say that				He was billed for thousands of minutes of use
this is just another way large corporations				over two years,those records indicate, and used
haveinvaded our lives.				it to issue a fatwa in February 1998 thatcalled on
Wading into the fray over this controversy				Muslims to kill Americans, including civilians,
concerning your cell phone is anotherlarger and				anywhere in the world.
important player: law enforcement. Law				Even now, as US forces move in for the kill, bin
enforcement agencies are nowutilizing the				Laden's satellite phone has notbeen cut off. But
technology of tracking cellular signals to catch				calls to the terrorist leader are going unanswered.
criminals andterrorists. A few cases of dangerous				Hisinternational phone number - 00873 682505331
criminals being tracked and caught while ontheir				- was disclosed during a trial,held in New York
telephones have been documented and law				earlier this year. Calls to his once-active satellite
enforcement is now fighting withthe cellular				link nowhear only a recorded messages saying he
companies to ensure its continued use.				is "not logged on". “
Have we lost our privacy by cell phone tracking				Indeed, when bin Laden associates went to trial in
or have we just gained avaluable tool for law				April on charges of bombing
enforcement to use in keeping us safe? Do the				U.S. embassies in Africa, the prosecution used
cell phonecompanies need to know where you are				billing records for calls fromthat phone to connect
in order to provide their service, or havethey				them to bin Laden--but not intercepts of
found, as some privacy advocates claim, a				conversations.
backdoor into your life, yourlocations, your				Apparently, the FBI are not the only individuals
shopping habits?				aware of the fact that thetracing of mobile phone
Part One: Mobile 911.				signals can be used to track down an
According to the TechTV Show				individual’slocation. With American forces
“Talkback”, Cell phones show where you				closing in on him during the battle of Tora Borain
are, andthat is simply part of their design. Without				late 2001, Osama bin Laden employed a simple
the ability to pinpoint where thesignal from your				trick against sophisticated
phone is coming from, calls could never be				United State spy technology to vanish into the
connected. Becausecell phones decry the use of				mountains that led to Pakistanand sanctuary.
wires, and the users making the calls are often				According to CBS News, A Moroccan who was
onthe move, the call and the receiving signal are				one of bin Laden's long-timebodyguards took
not at a fixed location.				possession of the al-Qaeda leader's satellite phone
Therefore, the signal from the cell phone must be				on theassumption that US intelligence agencies
tracked.				were monitoring it to get a fix ontheir position,
Cell phone service areas are divided into "cells,"				said senior Moroccan officials, who have
each of which is serviced bya base station. When				interviewed thebodyguard, Abdallah Tabarak.
you make a call, your cell phone selects the				Tabarak moved away from bin Laden and his
strongest basestation it can find, which is usually				entourage as they fled, using thephone to divert
the closest station to you.				the Americans and allow bin Laden to escape.
If you move out of the coverage of one base				Tabarak was latercaptured at Tora Bora in
station, your phone switches to thenext strongest				possession of the phone.
available base station (which usually means you				The use of Cell phone triangulation and the
move into a newcell). The system always knows				tracking of other mobile signalsappear to be an
your location relative to the nearest cell.				effective weapon for law enforcement, one that
This occurs even when your phone is on but not				many agencies aregoing to be reluctant to give
being used. For efficiency'ssake, an idle cell phone				up. But does the use of technology come at
sends out a message on the access channel so				aprice: the sacrifice of privacy and civil rights of
that thesystem will know where to direct the				the people using mobiletechnology.
page if you get an incoming call. Thesystem				Part Three: Cell Phone Commercials
knows where you are. In an urban area, each				The ability to track a person using their cell phone
tower covers an area ofapproximately 1 to 2				has not been lost onmarketing professionals
square miles, so a caller's general location is fairly				looking to find a new avenue into consumer
easyto pinpoint.				buying habitsand preferences. The ability to track
The proliferation of cellular phones and their usage				individuals’ movements through theirmobile
gave birth to a very uniqueproblem: How would				signal has very appealing commercial potentials.
emergency operators track callers who called 911				For example:
on theirmobile phone? Dialing 911 from a traditional,				? Your phone will be able to tell you where the
wire-based telephone, allowed theoperator to				nearest hospital, shopping mall,or McDonald's is
track where the call was being placed, so that an				located
emergency responsecould be sent. On mobile				? Merchants could automatically send you
phones, the people calling in the emergency had				location-based advertising and specialoffers when
no ideawhere they were, and the 911 operators				their technology senses you're near their stores
had no way of exactly pin pointing wherethe calls				? If you've pre-loaded their phone numbers and
where originating.				personal information, your phonecould alert you
Enter e911. According to the web site				when a friend or family member is in the area
“Webopedia” , E911 is “short for				“Advertisers are eager to use location
Enhanced				services to alert you when you pass neara store
911, a location technology advanced by the FCC				that might be of interest. Such services are likely
that enables cellular phones toprocess 911				in some form, butcarriers are proceeding
emergency calls and enable emergency services				cautiously. They're aware you may not want to
to locate thegeographic position of the caller.				see adsfor McDonalds every time you pass by
When a person makes a 911 call using atraditional				the golden arches. Carriers don't want toannoy
phone with ground wires, the call is routed to the				users because it's so easy to switch
nearest publicsafety answering point (PSAP) that				providers”, says Allen Nogee, asenior analyst
then distributes the emergency call to theproper				at Cahners In-Stat Group said on the CNN web
services. The PSAP receives the caller's phone				site.
number and the exactlocation of the phone from				The idea of advertisers and law enforcement
which the call was made. Prior to 1996, 911				knowing where you are at any givenmoment and
callersusing a mobile phone would have to access				where you have been has naturally rubbed
their service providers in order toget verification				privacy-advocate groups thewrong way. While
of subscription service before the call was routed				there is some upsides for the use of this
to a PSAP.				technology, privacygroups say the potential for
In 1996 the FCC ruled that a 911 call must go				abuse of this technology is very high and very
directly to the PSAP withoutreceiving verification				realand they would like to see some provisions
of service from a specific cellular service provider.				built into cell-phone tracking lawsthat allow for the
Thecall must be handled by any available service				privacy of the consumer not to be compromised.
carrier even if it is not thecellular phone				"There certainly need to be better emergency
customer's specific carrier. Under the FCC's rules,				procedures [for cell-phone calls],"says David Sobel,
all mobilephones manufactured for sale in the				general counsel for the Electronic Privacy
United States after February 13, 2000, thatare				Information Centerin Washington, D.C during an
capable of operating in an analog mode must				interview with ABC news. "But once the
include this special method forprocessing 911 calls.				technologyexists, there has to be some way for
”				users to control how the info can be used."
In an article entitled “How cell phones reveal				Sobel says while the FCC mandated the E911
your location” published on the				program, federal legislators haven'tput into place
Slate web site, with e911, emergency operators				how that information may be used or who would
were ableto track calls from wireless phones in				have access to it.
less to one or one half of a mile fromwhere the				"The Justice Department and FBI do routinely get
call originated. The technology was so successfully				information from cell-phoneservice providers,"
that thegovernment made it a law that all cellular				says Sobel. But, "There are lingering question on
phones carry the technology thatenables calls to				what thelegal standard is to be used to get
be tracked. This law is called the Wireless				location information from cell-phoneproviders.
Communications and				There is nothing in federal law that addresses that
Public Safety Act of 1999 (911 Act) and signed				issue.”
into law by President Clinton on				According to Sobel, another large privacy issue
October 26, 1999. According to the law, 95				that might be at stake is notonly the information
percent of all cell phones must be				that is being delivered by using this technology,
E911 compliant by the end of 2005.				but thetechnology itself might be violating the
In compliance with the new law, and to better				privacy of mobile communications justby the way
improve the service with itscustomers, many cell				the technology works.
phone handsets are now equipped with Global				“The e911 rules enacted by the Federal
Positioning				Communications Commission govern theemerging
System chips, which determine a caller's				form of telecommunications known as "packet
coordinates by receiving signals beameddown				mode" communication. Lawenforcement agencies
from a satellite array. The chip factors together				already have the authority to demand information
the signals' differentarrival times to calculate the				thatidentifies a phone call as long as it is separate
phone's coordinates, using a mathematical				from the call's contents.
processknown as trilateration. At present,				However, with packet-mode communication
however, GPS data is typically not recordedfor				technology, data containing the numberscannot be
non-emergency purposes, unless the user has				separated from data containing phone
explicitly signed up for alocation-based service.				conversations. Thus when policeagencies demand
Part Two: The Hacker and the Terrorist				phone number data, phone service providers will
Kevin Mitnick was a hacker. That is to say, he				have to givethem data containing conversations
was king of all the hackers.				as well,” said Sobel.
Mitnick, "America's Most Wanted Computer				Sobel and lawyers from two other organizations
Outlaw," eluded the police, US				are asking the U.S. Court of
Marshalls, and FBI for over two years after				Appeals in Washington, D.C., to block the FCC
vanishing while on probation for his				rules. "The FBI is seekingsurveillance capabilities
1989 conviction for computer and access device				that far exceed the powers law enforcement has
fraud. His downfall was his				had inthe past and is entitled to under the law,"
Christmas 1994 break-in to Tsutomu Shimomura's				Sobel said.
computers in San Diego,				Similar legislation for the ability to track
California. Shimomura just happened to be the				movements using mobile technologyhas met with
head of computing technology atthe San Diego				stiff resistance in other countries. According to
Super Computer Center. Less than two months				ZDNET UK in the United Kingdom, civil liberties
after having hiscomputers hacked, Shimomura				advocates areoutraged at the implications of the
had tracked Mitnick down after a				newly passed Regulation of Investigatory
cross-countryelectronic pursuit. Mitnick was				Powers Act, which could allow British law
arrested by the FBI in Raleigh, North Carolina,on				enforcement agencies to trace themovements of
February 15th, 1995.				mobile phone users with a minimum of
Mitnick was charged in North Carolina with 23				accountability. Privacyadvocates have vowed to
counts of access device fraud forhis activities				have this law over-turned in this country, but in
shortly before his arrest. In California, he was				themeantime, the British government plans to fully
charged with anadditional 25 counts of access				extend and incorporate this lawinto British law
device, wire, and computer fraud. On March 16,				enforcement, no matter what privacy groups say.
1999, Mitnick plead guilty to five of these counts				"The whole point of RIP (the Regulation of
and two additional countsfrom the Northern				Investigatory Powers Act) is toupdate
District of California. He was sentenced to 46				surveillance," a spokeswoman from the British
months andthree years probation. He was				Home Office said. "If youhaven't broken the law
released from prison on January 21, 2000,				then you've nothing to fear."
beingeligible for early release after serving almost				Conclusion: Cell Phone Spam?
60 months of his 68 monthsentence.				Law enforcement agencies, already beleaguered
How was the FBI able to capture "America's Most				by an out of control handgunproblem and a
Wanted Computer Outlaw"? Bytracking down a				across the board rise in crime in the United
signal from his cell phone.				States, coupled withthe fact that they must now
Luke Helder was going to set off some bombs.				deal with the horrifying specter of terrorism
Specifically, he was going to setoff bombs in				intheir cities, will not be too quick to give up a
mailboxes across the United States until the				powerful new weapon in catchingcriminals,
locations of his bombsmade a “smiley				especially not one that will essentially tell them
face” pattern across the map of the U.S. He				where they areexactly. Any fight that privacy
probably would haveaccomplished his morbid feat				groups may put up will ultimately prove to befutile
had he not made one crucial mistake; he turned				to lawmakers in Congress, who want to be seen
onhis cell phone.				as giving law enforcementevery chance they can
According to USA Today, as soon as he				to be effective.
activated it, FBI agents quicklytriangulated his				However, privacy groups have a legitimate point
position between two rural towns and had him in				in their fears that a technologyof this sort is ripe
handcuffswithin an hour, according to Nevada				to be exploited unless the lawmakers take action
authorities. The fact that another motoristspotted				to limitthe very personal data offered by this
Helder in passing helped authorities, but the cell				tracking technology. Email is a perfectexample of
phone signal was adead giveaway				a technology that, in its infant stages, was seen
"We got a call from the FBI at approximately 3:20				as revolutionarynew form of communication. Now,
p.m. that the cell phone that				email systems are so overloaded with spam
(Helder) had been known to have had been				comingin from not only the United States but also
activated somewhere between Battle				from Russia and Nigeria, thatcongress has acted
Mountain and Golconda," said Maj. Rick Bradley of				to implement new laws to stem the tide.
the Nevada Highway Patrol. "Westarted hitting				Cell phones now have the ability to send and
Interstate 80."				receive photographs, how muchlonger will it be
Bradley said tracking down Helder without the				before advertising, in full color begins to find its
pinpoint location provided by the				way toyour telephone? The outrage of having
FBI would have been tougher, given the sprawling				“cell-phone spam” may be so great that
region.				heconsumer uproar will cause any type of mobile
"It's really a rural area. There's not that much				technology to be severely limitedby law, perhaps
police presence," Bradley said.				even stripping out some of the positive aspects
Cell phone triangulation is a well-known tracking				such as thoseused by law enforcement.

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Your Cell Phone Is A Homing Beacon