COPS TO HIJACK CITIZENS' CELL PHONE DATA

COPS TO HIJACK CITIZENS' CELL PHONE DATA

By NWV News writer Jim Kouri
Posted 1:00 AM Eastern
April 23, 2011
© 2011 NewsWithViews.com

Imagine driving in your automobile with your family on a bright, summer day and you hear a police cruiser's siren and the officer motions for you to pull over. The police officer walks up to your car and says hello using your full name without seeing your license. 

Not only that, he requests your cellular phone, and within seconds knows your home address, workplace, work-related telephone numbers, pictures and personal Internet information. Welcome to the 21st Century.

If what's happening in Michigan becomes the model for the rest of the country, Americans are in for a big surprise when they discover their secrets aren't so secret anymore thanks to modern technology, say national security and civil rights professionals.

Michigan State Police officers have begun using state-of-the-art handheld equipment known as "extraction devices" to download personal information from motorists they pull over, even if they're not suspected of any crime.

The devices, manufactured and sold by Cellebrite, Incorporated, give police officers the ability download text messages, photos, video, and even GPS data from most brands of cell phones. The handheld machines have various interfaces to work with different models. 

"A disturbing part of this new gizmo is that it can bypass security passwords and access information American mistakenly believe is secure from prying eyes," said political strategist and attorney Mike Baker. 

"The fact that a person's confidential data is ripe to be gathered by prying government officials could bring new meaning to the term 'innocent till proven guilty' and make a sham of the Fourth Amendment," said Baker.

"Everybody -- even weak-minded liberals -- can easily perceive that by-and-large it's the Democrats who are way over-the-top with regards to bloated in-your-face intrusive government and the disregarding and trampling of the personal liberties of citizens. The leftists invariably view the U.S. Bill of Rights and U.S. Constitution as impediments to their agenda.

That's not to say there aren't far too many Republican "ruling class" self-serving politicians, as well," said former police detective now security firm owner Sid Franes.

While some are surprised at this latest technology, it shouldn't have surprised cell phone users and new motor vehicle owners already familiar with Global Positioning Systems. 

Law enforcement agencies at the federal, state and local levels have used GPS technology to locate individuals who own the latest-model cell phones and motor vehicles without their knowledge.

Forensic extraction device for cell phones, smartphones and PDAs

The Cellebrite forensic extraction device is billed as a state-of-the-art system that extracts vital information from 95% of all cellular phones on the market today, including Smartphones and PDA devices (Palm OS, Microsoft, Blackberry, Symbian, iPhone, and Google Android)................

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