The mobile phone as self-inflicted surveillance

[Mike Barskey]

This is a frightening article from the UK about how your cell phones are used to track your movement. It is nothing new, of course, that your cell phone can be used to locate you (either by GPS data if your phone has it or by triangulating it's normal communications with cell towers). Neither is it new that govt uses that data. But the UK govt is collecting this info about everyone - not just suspects. Check out the following 2 quotes from the article (the first is from the article itself, the 2nd is from a former UK Cabinet Office security and intelligence coordinator).

There are already two documented cases in Europe where not carrying a mobile phone was considered one of the grounds for arrest.

(my bold)

[A]pplication of modern data mining and processing techniques does involve examination of the innocent as well as the suspect to identify patterns of interest for further investigation.[...] Finding out other people's secrets is going to involve breaking everyday moral rules. So public trust in the essential reasonableness of UK police, security and intelligence agency activity will continue to be essential.

(my bold)

[Pat McCotter]

There are already two documented cases in Europe where not carrying a mobile phone was considered one of the grounds for arrest.

( Barskey's bold)

jaqueboy better watch his back! One of the cases was this:

On 11th November 2008, 150 French anti-terrorist police officers swooped on the 330-inhabitant village of Tarnac to arrest four men and five women aged 22 to 34, since nicknamed the 'Tarnac Nine'. These 'brilliant students' were living in a farm and ran a grocery store. All but one have been released. They were accused of "criminal association connected to a terrorist enterprise". French Interior Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie (MAM) was in the news soon after: [French version of page here] [Google translation of page here]

The Interior Minister is convinced of having saved France by nipping a revolution in the bud. For MAM, the defendants are the seed of Action Directe.

"They have adopted the method of clandestinity. They never use a mobile phone. They managed to have, in the village of Tarnac, friendly relations with people who could warn them of the presence of strangers," said the minister.

In the village, people laugh at this statement. One of the defendants rented an apartment above the town hall. "Is it a clandestine method?", asks Jean-Michel, who goes on: "Can one be labelled terrorist because he does not have a mobile phone?". Here, mobile reception is poor.