Subject: Re: TEMPEST - Electronic Eavesdropping

From: [email-masked] (Grady Ward)
Date: Sun, 20 Feb 1994 16:01:16 GMT

Ray Jones ([email-masked]) wrote:
: >In the US it is illegal to monitor cellular calls. It is even illegal to 
: >sell scanners that can receive the cellular frequencies.

: I think you are incorrect.  There have been several cases where drug dealers
: were convicted because of the information monitored from celluar calls.  No
: search warrent required either.

: The Suprem Court has ruled several time that anything put into the public
: airwaves is free for the taking (receiving).  This is why premimum TV
: programs  (HBO, etc.) satelite broadcasts are encoded.

The ECPA of 1987 (available from ftp.eff.org) criminalizes *monitoring*
of certain transmissions (other than for test purposes). Some of
these include, cellular, mobile telephones, encrypted communications,
the list goes on.

Most people believe that this part of the law was passed at the behest of
cellular companies wanting to promise the public 'privacy' without
actually needing the capital to fit cell phones with good crypto.

Yes, you could go to jail if you turn on a radio to listen to certain
radio waves coming into your bedroom. The Pro2006 scanner from Radio
Shack is easily modified to receive cellular, but will be forbidden to
import or manufacture as of (I think) this April.

73  kn6jr

-- 
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