What Is It With the Phone Confiscations?

self | Questions and Analysis By J. Johnson

[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.

[Organic Panic]

Modern smart phones contain everything. Banking apps, chat apps, email apps, tracking apps, mileage apps, shopping apps, medical apps. Basically everything in your life can be contained on a smart phone. Once the criminal FBI liars get a hold of it they can do whatever they want. AND if there is nothing “illegal” they will have no problem posting some kind of illegal materials (child porn, terroristic threats, “conspiracies” etc) to frame uncooperative marks. What are the odds that AFTER these phones are collected they all suddenly contain “seditious conspiracy” messages to each other? Or what is to stop an enterprising loyal agent of the Biden gestapo, I mean FBI, to plant illegal materials? Nothing.

[jimjohn]

..as I re-read my own article, I forgot to add and whole section...

if they can turn on your phone’s mic or laptop camera remotely, there’s no reason once they’re in, they can’t download whatever they want from a phone (including files, etc). Encryption *may* prevent this under certain conditions. But yes, it could also allow bad actors to UPLOAD certain materials to a target’s phone.

In fact, one’s only defense would be log files, probably kept by the phone or internet provider.

My bad for writing this essay in a hurry.

[nicollo]

I sincerely hope that anyone in the Trump admin learned early on not to use a network cell phone to send out anything that could be of interest to an enemy, aka the FIB, much less the Chicoms (who have it all, including the BIG STEAL).

I’m imagining the FIB techs who get these phones, sighing, “Oh, well, nothing here. What do you want me to put on it?”

[dfwgator]

It’s the Phone Cops, man!

[AnonymousConservative]

Who says the phone they return is the phone they took?

I assume they are either installing software to get better access for monitoring, or supplying a look-alike with all sorts of nifty new features.