MI State Police Using Cell phone 'Extraction' Devices?

[Danz la Nuit]

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/27564088/detail.html

"DETROIT -- The Michigan chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union is questioning the Michigan State Police's use of cellphone "extraction" devices.

The ACLU said MSP has used the devices to access information from cellphones that officers ask drivers they have pulled over to give them."



I hope this isn't true... The way the story is written, it makes it sound like LEO's coerce people into handing over their cellphones & then secretly download all their personal information...

[MrClamperSir]

"The ACLU said MSP has used the devices to access information from cellphones that officers ask drivers they have pulled over to give them."

"The ACLU is asking why the state police is using devices that can gather data stored on cellphones, and why it is not telling the public about it."

Yeah, I can't quite follow what's happening here. I tried to read it a few times and keep stumbling over the poorly written sentences. If someone can sum up the story, which devices are being used and how they work, that would be great.

[fullrearview]

Didn't read it but a recent court ruling indicated a cell phone can be searched incident to arrest... That includes using this technology.

[Danz la Nuit]

Didn't read it but a recent court ruling indicated a cell phone can be searched incident to arrest... That includes using this technology.

Anyone make a small cell phone sized lockbox that requires your finger print to open?

[ro442173]

Anyone make a small cell phone sized lockbox that requires your finger print to open?

Just take the battery out

[Danz la Nuit]

Just take the battery out

I have taken computer forensics AOJ courses; short of a very strong container that required your fingerprint, there really isn't anything preventing a properly equipped PD from accessing info on any type of digital media device.

[fullrearview]

Anyone make a small cell phone sized lockbox that requires your finger print to open?

Let me clarify... A cell phone found on your person can be searched incident to arrest... Unless your a dealer or they need some info off the phone, not to many cops are going to bother with this.

[nick]

Anyone make a small cell phone sized lockbox that requires your finger print to open?

No need for that. Most smartphones either come with full device encryption (don't forget the SD card wile you're at it), or have software available that does it. Most people just don't bother to activate it.

Just like most people don't bother to set up the full drive encryption on their laptops even when the said laptop drives come with FDE. Besides, the drives with FDE are cheap these days, under $100 for 500GB 7200 rpm ones, so it's a cheap upgrade for your laptop for an added peace of mind.

[nick]

I have taken computer forensics AOJ courses; short of a very strong container that required your fingerprint, there really isn't anything preventing a properly equipped PD from accessing info on any type of digital media device.

While it's possible to break 256-bit AES encryption (which is what I have on my phone and all of my computers), no PD I can think of can afford or has access to that kind of processing power, not to mention that it would take quite some time for them to break it even if they had the access to said processing power. At which point enough time has passed for you to turn into dust, anyway.

Just make sure your key/password is over 10 characters.

[SparrowHanger]

Didn't read it but a recent court ruling indicated a cell phone can be searched incident to arrest... That includes using this technology.

This article cites cases going both ways on the issue.

http://policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display&issue_id=52009&category_ID=3

[DesertGunner]

While it's possible to break 256-bit AES encryption (which is what I have on my phone and all of my computers), no PD I can think of can afford or has access to that kind of processing power, not to mention that it would take quite some time for them to break it even if they had the access to said processing power. At which point enough time has passed for you to turn into dust, anyway.

Just make sure your key/password is over 10 characters.

Depending on the case, if they had enough PC for a warrant, you could be compelled to give up the password.

[hk91666]

Regarding the encryption don't the writers of the encryption code aren't they compelled to give the gov't the back door to the code (the algorithm)? Seems like i heard this somewhere.

[nick]

Depending on the case, if they had enough PC for a warrant, you could be compelled to give up the password.

Your phone can be taken from you. I don't think you can be compelled to enter the password for them. You know, self-incrimination and all.

[nick]

Regarding the encryption don't the writers of the encryption code aren't they compelled to give the gov't the back door to the code (the algorithm)? Seems like i heard this somewhere.

There were attempts to do that, and Cisco, for example, got caught in a scandal where it left a backdoor in their IOS at the behest of the FBI. However, if a government can use a backdoor, so can hackers, and in that particular example that's how the whole thing came out. So that pretty much killed the idea.

Also, don't forget that a lot of encryption algorithms (and a lot of software using them) are created abroad. A lot of it is also open source, where a lot of people get to look at it (and most of whom aren't the most government-worshiping types, to put it mildly).

So, in general, you're pretty safe from backdoors using this kind of software. Just make sure to use well-known software, as by the virtue of being well-known it's subject to greater scrutiny, and read up on it before using it (to see what issues with it came up).

Hmm, now that I think of it... Hey Gene, is there a backdoor in PGP? That's ok, you, can tell us, we're all friends here

[Danz la Nuit]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20055431-1.html