Posted on 09/13/2022 9:50:20 AM PDT by jimjohn
In hopes this article does not require a tin-foil hat to understand, I would like to broaden my understanding of reports of [smart] phones being confiscated during the current “Night of the Long Knives” i.e. recent raids going on across the country. With that said, I am looking for folks smarter than this author (shouldn’t be too difficult) to help explain the federals’ strategy of ‘phone snatching’ Real Americans.
Allow me to explain…
The conventional wisdom is that smartphones are grabbed as part of the investigation of something that happened 20+ months ago (or whatever), and the phone snatchers have the right to do so via supposedly legal subpoenas. I used ‘supposedly’ for a reason which we’ll get to later. But if data is needed from the [smart] phone, why go through the trouble of taking it from the user? I ask this and other questions based on what we know.
Case and point #1:
I present the subject as one Edward Snowden. Now, as you know, Mr. Snowden – the American - is not in Russia on a sight-seeing vacation. In his 2019 book “Permanent Record”, Snowden gave just enough details to explain how mass surveillance is conducted against American citizens (without our knowledge or permission, of course). Among the tools at their disposal (spoiler alert) is the ability to track most citizens by simply having access to their email address. Once this is known, and simple request to Mr. Big Tech will allow virtually any alphabet agency to download your life to a flash drive. I must admit I found much of that probable, but hard to swallow – that is until I personally experienced case and point #2.
Recently, I needed to upgrade my phone to a newer version. Fact is, I’ve always hated doing this since I would need to spend a day (or seven) re-downloading and configuring all the apps/contact/media from the old phone. Yes, I know some of you are saying “Dude, it’s 2022 – nobody does that anymore!” Yeah, and I don’t upgrade my phone every time a new, colorful commercial comes out. In fact, it had been a few years (if it ain’t broke, you know the rest). Nevertheless the dude at the phone store said, “Here, put in your email address, and password, and you’ll see all your apps that were on your old phone magically appear on the new one – with all the data and media as well…”
Awesome. So if it’s that easy to pull information off these smartphones, and knowing most of this data is stored in the cloud somewhere, why not just ask for a subpoena to fetch the records from “the cloud” without snatching a phone from a citizen knowing they can simply buy a new one after they have been federally inconvenienced?
Perhaps the feds already have the information and need the physical device for collaboration? And what if that phone data is encrypted? Do they throw the subjects in jail and pull fingernails until the target coughs up the password? These questions are based on the assumption that Mr. Snowden is correct.
I’m sure by now, there are many readers ready to fire on how these phone snatchings violate all kinds of laws, and how they are being done to harass Real Americans, and in some galactic way, is all about getting’ #45. Fine. But what if it goes a little beyond that?
[Tin-foil hat ON]
So, they raid/subpoena/harass/terrorize 35-50 folks in a 24 hour period, then brag about it – and the fact that they snatched their phones to boot…when they don’t have to admit anything (no controlling authority, remember? #RINOS). And we also know part of the ongoing war against us has been to neutralize our networking communication abilities (censorship, cancel culture, misinformation, etc). Could this simply be a continued part of that effort?
Or maybe some or all of these subpoenas are have-baked or fake all together. In one scene, an attorney for #45 was violated outside a restaurant. They demanded his phone, and refused at first to provide even a warrant… until some fed scared one up – probably after realizing they were on camera. Just a thought.
But think about it: If you are shown a subpoena, are you really going to check with the judge who allegedly signed it before you comply? Ask yourself, the way the government operates these days, could a judge sign off on a warrant after the raid takes place?
[Tin-foil hat OFF]
Warrants for laptops? I get it. Hard Copies? People still do that? It just seems that snatching phones is a waste of time and effort. The only other logical explanation would be that Mr. Snowden’s assessment isn’t totally true, and storing private information on one’s phone is more secure than we thought.
I don’t have all the answers. But I'm sure those who do will generate a healthy discussion on securing one’s own communications and maintaining a modicum of privacy…
…because that’s what those “threat to democracy” folks do.
They probably view MAGA as a network, so they are mining contact lists to establish who is who for when the arrests start in earnest...
They’re using them to spy on people as usual
There are still many forms of secure communication. Yes everything on your google/microsoft/facebook/discord etc are recorded and will be used against you.
For instance the latest rage is Visa/MasterCard tracking gun sales. Do you think google has NOT cataloged all of your order confirmations you have received in your gmail?
However there are still many 3rd party fully open source and audited communications applications. These are the ones congress wages war against when they talk about “regulating” encryption, or when elites starts to pursue shady DRM-ish mystery chips.
Not everything on a phone is backed up at the provider’s or other data centers. The phone has a file system in which you can store files locally. Phones also have slots for SD memory cards for expanded local storage.
The apps on a phone depend on what the user has personally installed. Only by knowing the assortment of user apps can law enforcement know what cloud databases to subpoena.
The data might not be on the cloud, there’s a lot of stuff on my phone that isn’t on the cloud. And really it’s just the modern version of “get all the possibly related documents”. Back in the 90s when MS was going through those anti-trust cases they had to turn over almost all their corporate email. That’s a big part of any investigation that revolves around data, get it all and make the interns figure out what matters.
Harassment.
The Gestapo takes what it wants.
The powers that be are terrified of any data that is outside of their reach.
Anyone who has worked in cryptography has run up against their insatiable need to possess ALL data...
The repository at Bluffdale is a testament to their fetish.
Fascists gotta fascist. It’s a wonder the left isn’t building ovens in the open. Or are they?
One thing folks should consider — if they have sensitive information on their phones — is to disable the face-recognition unlock function. Set your phone to passcode-only. There’s been several incidents where corrupt FBI goons confiscated a Trump supporter’s phone and aimed it at their face to unlock it so it could be downloaded.
Even Hitler never confiscated smart phones. Biden is worse than Hitler!
Keep a burner as a backup. They can have that one.
Check out this thread: FREE REPUBLIC THREAD: Federal Court Cancels Hearing Over Trump Election Lawyer’s Attempt to Reclaim Seized Phone After DOJ Obtains SECOND Search Warrant
In summary, the FBI seized his phone, and when he sued to get it back, the FBI could not produce the warrant, so the judge just "issued another one" after the fact.
They are grabbing at straws in a hurricane.
They hope to find ‘other stuff’ on these phones that they can then prosecute, and get the owners to turn against Trump.........................
THIS is one reason I do not have a mobile phone of any kind.......................
Who had they phone snatched and how do you know?
Maybe the phone snatchers just want to make a phone call.
Like to tell they mama hello or happy birthday.
Don’t you like mamas and birthdays?
It seems to be the beginning of the end considering silence/acquiescence coming from the opposition party.
My thought is to
1) backup your phone on a regular basis (weekly or at a min monthly)
2) encrypt you phone where possible
3) used encryption for communications on any legal / lawyer messages
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.