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This Is How The NSA Is Tracking You This Instant

Tyler Durden's picture




 

That little "entertaining" cell phone in your back pocket, which you are so addicted to thanks to all its apps, videos, messaging function and all other cool bells and whistles, that you can't possibly live without? It is simply the definitive NSA tracking beacon used to find where you are at any given moment. The following infographic explains how the NSA does just that...

Source: WaPo

 

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Wed, 12/04/2013 - 22:18 | 4216123 bigrooster
bigrooster's picture

@Pornfonstar do you work for the NSA?   You have been junked SO much here on ZH you should probably create your own bitcoin whore webiste.

Thu, 12/05/2013 - 05:40 | 4216868 TeMpTeK
TeMpTeK's picture

Easy,.... cashing out bitcoins at any one of the exchanges will require you to personally hand over that info and much much more before u ever see a penny.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:07 | 4215230 negative rates
negative rates's picture

They called me up at night a few years back, I told them they were nothing, I told them they thought they were something, but they were really nothing. They must have believed me cause they never called back. 

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:46 | 4215367 The Gooch
The Gooch's picture

A little birdy told me rural cell towers were easily "felled" with copper hatchets by the natives.

nearby transformers was a great movie in the cities.

Those "towers" are atop fucking 3 flats in the city all over the place.

People actually dwell within inches of them and probably don't even know it 

Fuck you .gov pumpkinhead motherfuckers. Worldwide.

MOLON LABE.

Also- The Tenth Amendment Center until the voice and pen no longer work:  http://tenthamendmentcenter.com/   

 

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:08 | 4215231 Buckaroo Banzai
Buckaroo Banzai's picture

You don't think your credit card transactions are being tracked? Your checking account activity, or your investment activity-- all tied to your social security number?

Tracking all that is a shit-ton easier than tracking BitCoin transactions.

Don't kid yourself. There is a reason they are busy outlawing cash. They will try to outlaw BitCoin eventually, although they will have considerably more trouble making that stick.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:10 | 4215244 fonestar
fonestar's picture

Bitcoin in itself is not anonymous but even a novice taking some precautions can pretty much get it there.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:44 | 4215390 Pancho Villa
Pancho Villa's picture

So you say... Why don't you just give us all a list of the simple precautions you think are keeping you anonymous?

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:07 | 4215466 The Gooch
The Gooch's picture

<----- = Kevin

<----- = Amateur Provocateur

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:14 | 4215489 Ratscam
Ratscam's picture

back in 2001, UBS algo IT engineers determined with 80% accuracy, whether a client would close their account within a year or not, just by analyzing data on the clients bank transactions.
More scary, with a 90% accuracy, whether they will file a divorce or not.
That was 2001 today is 2013! Go figure!

Thu, 12/05/2013 - 01:11 | 4216657 NidStyles
NidStyles's picture

If it involves a computer attached to a complex network, there is no such thing as anonymous.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:37 | 4215363 MeelionDollerBogus
MeelionDollerBogus's picture

they're all a click a way - easy peezy. you'd be a fool to think bitcoin is 'harder' to track. It isn't.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:41 | 4215384 fonestar
fonestar's picture

Bitcoin the protocol is easy to track.  People tied to addresses can be tracked if they want to be tracked.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:43 | 4215387 Buckaroo Banzai
Buckaroo Banzai's picture

Really? Calling up your bank and serving them a FISA warrant takes 5 minutes.

BitCoin is pseudonymous which means it takes some actual detective work to associate a particular transaction with a particular human.

You see, what I love about government bureaucrats is that they are blockheaded and incompetent. Doing actual work is usually outside of their job description.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:52 | 4215419 MeelionDollerBogus
MeelionDollerBogus's picture

There's a site already that's been posted in zh comments at least 20 times that will show you all bitcoin transactions all the time.
So how's 0.005 minutes sound? For ALL of them ALL at once?

Derpee-derp.

Come on, you can do better.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:55 | 4215426 Buckaroo Banzai
Buckaroo Banzai's picture

Are you being intentionally stupid? Yes the blockchain contains every single transaction. The problem is, the blockchain doesn't contain anybody's actual NAMES, just a bunch of bitcoin wallet addresses.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:25 | 4215537 Xibalba
Xibalba's picture

how long till we find out the NSA used bitcoin to mine everyones hd? 

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:46 | 4215620 MeelionDollerBogus
MeelionDollerBogus's picture

are YOU?
This ONE thing I brought up is simply the MOST important detail of any reply possible TO you which is why someone else gave it to you as well.
Wallet address = name
just like bank account = name
same thing. Easily locatable. And in fact PHYSICAL location. At least my bank account doesn't show WHERE I am but the IP address, if not properly mangled through proxy servers, WILL. and THAT is already being correlated as we well know from Snowden.

Cash in hand & gold / silver coin is my way.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 20:33 | 4215784 Duke of Earl
Duke of Earl's picture

Nothing wrong with gold and silver.  Just to clarify somewhat.  A person can and should have many wallets which contain an unlimited amount of addresses.

Your IP address is a physical location, true.   You can change your IP address and also encrypt your transactions to deliver them to a node.  Thus, unless the encryption is broken, all that would be known is that data was sent.

Thu, 12/05/2013 - 06:15 | 4216893 Seer
Seer's picture

And this is one reason why I see it all destined for failure.  Most anyone left with any money are OLDER folks, and it's been my observation with older folks and tech that the two don't mix all that well.

Further, the overwhelming majority of humans on this planet have no access to anything like the "Internet."  I find it highly elitist to be talking about how great this will be for folks when it'll only ever benefit a few...

Thu, 12/05/2013 - 01:12 | 4216660 NidStyles
NidStyles's picture

What makes you think it's hard for them to associate names with addresses?

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:01 | 4215447 Pancho Villa
Pancho Villa's picture

With Bitcoin, the government doesn't even need a search warrant. They don't even need to call a bank. They can just download the blockchain and transaction requests from the comfort of their offices.

Perfect for network analysis:

http://www.unisa.edu.au/IT-Engineering-and-the-Environment/Blog/Terrorists/

Of course, network analysis doesn't just catch terrorists. It could also detect all sorts of illegal activities like drug sales, gambling, prostitution and, most important of all, tax evasion.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:41 | 4215597 Bunga Bunga
Bunga Bunga's picture

And they don't do that with fiat transactions?

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:57 | 4215647 Pancho Villa
Pancho Villa's picture

I'm sure they do. But probably not as easily. For example, if I pay $100 to a prostitute on a street corner (just for example, not that I would ever consider doing this) there is no electronic record of that cash transaction. With Bitcoin, there would be a bunch of Bitcoin transaction information going out over the internet and ultimately a permanent record of the transaction in the block chain.

And the whole reason everyone is so excited about Bitcoin is that it is supposed to protect your privacy. But it seems to me that it may be even less private than fiat.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 21:11 | 4215909 Apeman
Apeman's picture

Me neither, 100 is way too much.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 21:28 | 4215960 Dollar Bill Hiccup
Dollar Bill Hiccup's picture

Except that in many cities or even towns, that street corner is open to video surveillance. So there might be a digital trace of your presence.

Thu, 12/05/2013 - 06:16 | 4216894 Seer
Seer's picture

Someone's always got to throw a wrench into the deal! </sarc>

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:11 | 4215483 RiverRoad
RiverRoad's picture

So is it tracking or.....stalking?

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 20:20 | 4215732 Mike in GA
Mike in GA's picture

Governments worldwide, being every one broke, seek to flush out every dime of income or asset to tax.  Check 21 is a black market breaker because now you can't just go cash a check, you have to deposit it.  No more hiding.  Same with banking secrecy laws in Switzerland.  No more hiding.   

All they want is everything.  So either we start fighting back some way or just bend over.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 22:18 | 4216120 ich1baN
ich1baN's picture

I could be wrong, but I have had this theory all along that Bitcoin was actually created (backed) by the Government and put out by Silicon Valley like people to appear as far away from the Fed as possible.

What better way to to track everyone than by selling them the idea of a super-encrypted currency that is 100% anonymous but really has a built in code for tracking.

Think about it people, your footprint is still digital and connected to the internet; there is always a way to track anything connected to a Cat 5 or otherwise.

I still think Bitcoin is a backdoor Trojan to track everyone. Ya, great it's up a gaGillion percent, but when the government regulates it and issues a baGillion more bitcoins and is able to track everyone, it's still gold that is impossible to track and will always retain value as passing the 5 characteristics of Money test by Aristotle.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:05 | 4215221 NoWayJose
NoWayJose's picture

Dumped my iPhone two months ago and now I am unplugged.  Using gift cards and money orders more than credit or debit cards.  Hard to totally duck the NSA, but no need to help them out.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:31 | 4215339 Things that go bump
Things that go bump's picture

I got a cell phone once years ago, but discovered that when I am out I don't actually want or enjoy being at the beck and call of everybody so I got rid of it and haven't used one since. The few times when one might have been useful are not worth the ridiculous cost involved in having and using one. You can't even have a simple social interaction with people because they are too involved in what is going on with their cell phone. It is so rude. And you are bombarded with other people's private conversations constantly whether you want to hear them or not. 

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:43 | 4215391 mvsjcl
mvsjcl's picture

I hear you, Gene, I hear you.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:08 | 4215471 GreatUncle
GreatUncle's picture

But if you had one think of the fun and annoynance you could have.

Just turn it on and those little NSA eyes would light up "things that go bump turned his cell phone on". 

Aaaawwww, he just turned it off now.

 

 

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:58 | 4215652 Things that go bump
Things that go bump's picture

I'm afraid the NSA would find me boring.

Thu, 12/05/2013 - 06:21 | 4216896 Seer
Seer's picture

Perhaps more than anything else, I don't have a cell phone because I cannot stand the communcations companies.

I have nothing to hide.  And I also have nothing that I want to "share."

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:07 | 4215224 RaceToTheBottom
RaceToTheBottom's picture

I am telling you, implement a lost and found service and the sheeple will spend so much money on it that the deficit would be solved in a few years...

NSA would be the new IBM.....

/s

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:23 | 4215300 Quinvarius
Quinvarius's picture

They should start a deleted email recovery service.

Thu, 12/05/2013 - 06:23 | 4216898 Seer
Seer's picture

Flash back to years gone by... folks asking if their "deleted" files were backed up.  Then it was a big NO.  Today, it seems, it's different.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:07 | 4215226 Bangin7GramRocks
Bangin7GramRocks's picture

I assume I am always being watched. Easier that way and I can sleep at night. Hopefully, visiting ZeroHedge doesn't get me listed as an enemy of the state. Either way it doesn't matter because I have developed a bit of a ZH addiction.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:08 | 4215234 RaceToTheBottom
RaceToTheBottom's picture

Oh yeah, you are so "on the list"

We all are, unless you are some sort of brainiac who knows how to fake layers and layers of servers between you and the NSA brainiacs.  I am not that person....

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:11 | 4215250 Bangin7GramRocks
Bangin7GramRocks's picture

What do you take me for....Super Cryto-Jesus Satoshi!

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:37 | 4215350 Yes We Can. But...
Yes We Can. But Lets Not.'s picture

Whenever I drive by the entrance to the NSA campus in Maryland, I fly the bird.  I hate these goons.  Everyone should and should push for termination of the NSA, before it is too late, if it ain't already.  Who will lead Americans and the world in this regard?  The dumbass in the WH?  Snowden?  Putin?  Some Congressman?

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 22:18 | 4216117 Bohm Squad
Bohm Squad's picture

re:  "...so on the list."

We should really work out a secret handshake or something so we'll know each other when we get to camp.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:11 | 4215255 Gene Parmesan
Gene Parmesan's picture

The fact that I know I'm always being watched has the opposite effect on me.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:24 | 4215312 ejmoosa
ejmoosa's picture

We are all Enemies of the State.  They are just working on their list of which threats to contain first.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:07 | 4215228 CharliePrince
CharliePrince's picture

can i call the nsa  when my son doesnt come

 

home on time for dinner.   at least they would be helping someone

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:16 | 4215271 Sudden Debt
Sudden Debt's picture

no... they only spy on your daughter

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:26 | 4215316 Colonel Klink
Colonel Klink's picture

I wouldn't put anything past those fags at the NSA.  Not that there's anything wrong with them.  It seems to be good enough for our civilian leadership.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:35 | 4215356 Buckaroo Banzai
Buckaroo Banzai's picture

Washington DC is loaded to the fucking brim with homos. And not just the obvious ones, I'm talking about the ones that don't set off even highly-calibrated gaydar.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:51 | 4215381 Yes We Can. But...
Yes We Can. But Lets Not.'s picture

Take a drive to most any park in the DC area on a Sunday afternoon.  Fort Marcy Park (yes, that Fort Marcy Park, and yes, that is what the guy who discovered the body was doing there), Turkey Run, Iwo Jima, Lady Bird Johnson, Rock Creek, on and on.  See who's hanging out alone in the cars in the parking lots, strolling nearby in the woods.  Take a stroll around the grounds of the Marine Corps Memorial around midnight some warm evening and see who you encounter.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:43 | 4215386 Colonel Klink
Colonel Klink's picture

I know what you mean!  It's like when Bawney Fwank announced he was gay, kinda shocked me like when Obama said he cared about us or when Bernanke said he was working on trying to get unemployment down.

Shocked I tell you!

Thu, 12/05/2013 - 00:23 | 4216506 Kobe Beef
Kobe Beef's picture

Pedophilia is the new "civil rights" project, hater. You Pedophobe bigot, you. The hall monitor is watching, and you will be reported for discrimination, disparate impact, and violations of the Tolerance Code.

s/

 

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:31 | 4215340 new game
new game's picture

now you know what an animal at the zoo feels like...

Thu, 12/05/2013 - 01:43 | 4216689 Colonel Klink
Colonel Klink's picture

They need to be careful because sometimes caged animals fight back.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 20:19 | 4215720 krispkritter
krispkritter's picture

If they can find that sock that goes missing in the dryer, I'm all for NSA!  Need Sock Again?

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:08 | 4215239 ThisIsBob
ThisIsBob's picture

This stuff is so silly.  Smart malefactrors will sharpen their communications, and those who don't, well Darwin.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:14 | 4215263 Gene Parmesan
Gene Parmesan's picture

It's silly if their stated purpose (hurr durr terrorism) was given truthfully (it wasn't), but it makes a whole lot of sense if their real purpose is to put the finishing touches on the US police state.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:23 | 4215296 ThisIsBob
ThisIsBob's picture

Its a jobs program, just like the war on drugs.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:35 | 4215361 negative rates
negative rates's picture

You mean like the lost war on drugs that we the people are still paying for.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:13 | 4215257 cdm
cdm's picture

 

ppfffsshhh ... yeah, right.

 

with the cell phone i do not have?

 

if you need to talk with me,

i will let you know.

 

peace.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:18 | 4215283 Sabibaby
Sabibaby's picture

Nobody cares about tracking you :) good job!

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:12 | 4215258 lakecity55
lakecity55's picture

Hey, thanks for reminding me to remove the battery!

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:22 | 4215298 Uber Vandal
Uber Vandal's picture

Kind of nifty how some newer models of cell phones have batteries that are non-removable.

http://www.marketingallinclusive.com/articole/trends/removable-smartphon...

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:15 | 4215493 GreatUncle
GreatUncle's picture

Put it in a metal box and put the lid on.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:36 | 4215584 RiverRoad
RiverRoad's picture

Better yet, flush it down the toilet.

Thu, 12/05/2013 - 06:28 | 4216905 Seer
Seer's picture

CAUTION: Use alternative approach if you're not on a municipal sewer system- use a neighbor's toilet?

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:15 | 4215494 are we there yet
are we there yet's picture

Do a full power off mode, not just airplane mode, and your iphone is trully off.  If you are really paranoid you can get a small metal or lead foil box to place your phone in.

Another sugestion, stop robbing banks and hanging around with terrorists unless they are really really cute.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:29 | 4215553 seek
seek's picture

That's not entirely true. I know with certain android models at least, they will wake from a hard power off. I've seen it with my own eyes. I suspect iPhones have a similar "feature."

Metalized pouches like the ones freeze-dried camping meals come in work pretty well too, btw.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 20:41 | 4215797 krispkritter
krispkritter's picture

Yes, bag it.  And if you have one of those toll devices in your car, keep the kind that can be removed from the windshield.  Put them in a plastic bag, then a couple layers of either foil or anti-stat bags your hard drives or video cards come in, with a plastic bag between layers. If you put your phone in this scenario and it can still be called, located by Bluetooth, or wi-fi, you still need work.  If you do this with your toll device and they send you a notice you failed to pay, it works. I use a single zip-lock 6mil bag, with an anti-stat bag, and a ground wire with an alligator clip at the end of the a-s bag. Keeps my backup device from registering double tolls. If I don't want to be 'found', pry the credit-card-like toll tag off the windshield and toss it. I can then go anonymous and then use the backup until I stick another $5 CC tag to the windshield. If you want mis-direction, stick the backup to another vehicle at a rest stop that's going the opposite way, and well, good luck finding you.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:37 | 4215582 ForTheWorld
ForTheWorld's picture

Well, you can remove batteries from those phones (I've certainly done it on iPhones and other Motorolas) - you just need a screwdriver. Yes, they can be removed without damaging the phone.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:14 | 4215267 Sudden Debt
Sudden Debt's picture

YOU CAN'T ATTACK THE NSA AS A UNIT

you need to take them on piece by piece.

Why go against the NSA as a organisation?

Easy, anybody who knows anybody who works for the NSA... wel that person is the enemy. Not the organisation because that only exists because of the comon people working for the NSA. Those employees may say that they do it for the paychecks but so did the Stasi and so did the SS.

Patriots take on the NSA employees. It's that simple.

People working for these organisations are killers. Even if they only clean the toilets there. They are all killers.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:36 | 4215364 negative rates
negative rates's picture

Live by the sword, die by the sword, I always say.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:16 | 4215272 I woke up
I woke up's picture

Was this part of their Thankgiving talking points

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:18 | 4215273 I woke up
I woke up's picture

.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:19 | 4215279 W74
W74's picture

Here's the thing: the NSA (or insert other alphabet agency) can track all they want (even us evil ZH posters) but what do they plan to do about lone wolves?

My guess is anyone who really wants to do something just isn't going to have a cell phone, probably doesn't know too many people other than close family and/or extremely close friends anyway, pays for things in cash and is otherwise in some ways or totally self-sufficient.

Lone Wolf.  Tell me your plans for Lone Wolf NSA.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:31 | 4215342 MeelionDollerBogus
MeelionDollerBogus's picture

why would they even care? The tracking is to keep you in line, not to stop wrong-doing.

Thu, 12/05/2013 - 06:33 | 4216907 Seer
Seer's picture

Exactly!

They need a good "story" in order to garner more funds (9/11 being one that'll be hard to top).

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:54 | 4215422 cougar_w
cougar_w's picture

The NSA is part of the expanding techno-dystopian police state, which is being directed at all citizens and all levels of government as a means to ensure compliance with Fascist goals. They don't even want to catch the lone wolf terrorist; that guy going off at random helps them expand and extend the police state further.

In some ways ZH reporting on privacy issues centered on the individual doesn't help readers understand the growth of the police state designed to ensnare the entire nation. Once the nation falls and paranoia captures the national mood, you won't be safe from your own children, forget about the NSA.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 21:20 | 4215932 Dollar Bill Hiccup
Dollar Bill Hiccup's picture

15 deaths by Terrorists out of 300 MM Americans.

27 by lawnmowers.

400+ Justifiable Homicides by Police.

34,000 in auto accidents.

Bloomberg has a detail of 17 armed security guards.

Ray Kelly wants 6 for life.

You on the other hand are a felon if you have a slingshot in NYC.

 

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:20 | 4215281 Ribeye
Ribeye's picture

thats right NSA, my iphone wasn't stolen, I'm now living in Bucharest, feel free to spy on me, 

 

 

Thu, 12/05/2013 - 06:35 | 4216913 Seer
Seer's picture

That gave me an idea!

Every couple of days folks should swap their cell phone with a complete stranger! (I highly doubt that this would really affect overall "productivity.")

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:30 | 4215302 Hongcha
Hongcha's picture

No armchair Snowden fantasies guys.  Your money is what they really want.  How long, if not already, before they just fashion a complete profile including cell nos., bank account ##s, passwords and whatever else and sell it in a tranche to pirates in Montevideo or Mombassa.

Do you have the horses to track that down; or the hope of any recovery?  Buy identity theft insurance and then expect to get paid?  LOL.

Coming attractions - bar codes for license plates, auto scanning by the cops as you drive by, ticket money automatically withdrawn, don't like it well get in fucking line with the rest of the mouthbreathers at the station to protest to a skeleton crew of overworked county clerks.

Off the grid is the only answer.  That is one reason why PMs and soon cash will be discouraged, if not outright outlawed.

We are nothing but cattle to them and the electronic cage is forming overhead.  The less electronic you are, the freer IMHO.

Robinson Jeffers figured this out in 1936; see his poem, The Purse Seine.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:34 | 4215359 navy62802
navy62802's picture

Admiral John Poindexter actually was pushing for exactly this type of program back in 2003/2004. He called it Total Information Awareness. The administration freaked out when he started selling the program to them, so instead the initiative was chopped up and renamed. Though the program effectively disappeared from the public eye shortly thereafter, I suspect that it continued to live on in development and that eventually it was implemented.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 21:14 | 4215917 Lost Word
Lost Word's picture

TIA with its logo symbol Masonic pyramid and all seeing eye spying on the world

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Total_Information_Awareness

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:50 | 4215411 Buckaroo Banzai
Buckaroo Banzai's picture

Bar codes for license plates? They don't need them, in many states the cop cars all have license plate scanners already. Who needs a barcode when you already have a number?

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:30 | 4215558 seek
seek's picture

They scanners don't correctly capture every plate seen and can be spoofed pretty easily by nearby text. Barcodes would greatly improve the process.

I doubt they'll go there, though, because stuff like that wakes sheep up.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 21:14 | 4215912 Zero-risk bias
Zero-risk bias's picture

I think it's possible we may never get there, but like Hongcha suggests, with the tools ready, perhaps it will be.

Based on the way we are all (99.99%) getting fleased, and how oil and its plethora of uses in transportation, and to a lesser or greater extent, is used in virtually every manufactured product, I don't see mass private ownership of vehicles existing beyond the next twenty years or so, and I really don't think it will become an issue.

But I wouldn't be surprised to see that everything gets reinvented, upgraded, compliant and digitised for more fun and convenience, and to maintain the image that society is on a path of tangible and measurable progress.

I certainly feel that very little short of outright collapse of civilisation would do much to wake anyone up.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:58 | 4215434 Mi Naem
Mi Naem's picture

"auto scanning by the cops as you drive by"

That's not the future, that's now. 

See: http://www.policeone.com/police-products/traffic-enforcement/license-pla...

In my area, most country and city police and sheriff patrol cars have one of these on each side of the lid of their trunk. 

Here are some police chatting about it: http://www.policeone.com/police-products/traffic-enforcement/license-pla...

Apparently, at this time, it is strictly run against NCIC for wanted felons, stolen cars, etc.  Obviously, that's only a DHS grant from changing radically.  That should be in place by the time mass riots start, wouldn't you say?  You can't take a place, train, interstate bus, or boat without proving who you are and submitting to a search, and next is our highways and byways.  It absolutely is coming. 

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:08 | 4215468 BigJim
BigJim's picture

A cyclist, eh, 'sir'? Only an enemy of the state would ride something so untrackable. Say you're carrying nothing, huh? We'll see about that. Bend over.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 21:12 | 4215914 Dollar Bill Hiccup
Dollar Bill Hiccup's picture

FLIR, satellite, Amazon contracted killer mini drones. Good luck.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 21:23 | 4215943 Zero-risk bias
Zero-risk bias's picture

""These plate readers are not intended nor used to follow the movements of members of the public," the department's statement said."

Not intended for that, phew, that's good news, almost thought they were.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:00 | 4215441 Mi Naem
Mi Naem's picture

Only criminals use cash.  You got something to hide mister?  Let's see your ID. 

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:59 | 4215444 Clycntct
Clycntct's picture

"Coming attractions - bar codes for license plates, auto scanning by the cops as you drive by"

Past attraction. License plates are bar codes.

Thu, 12/05/2013 - 06:42 | 4216921 Seer
Seer's picture

No, they could care less about "money."  What "they" "want" is CONTROL- they want to be on TOP, and if it requires controlling "money" then sure, they'll do that.

Due to ever-increasing population sizes it was always inevitable that more "uniformity" was pushed.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:23 | 4215308 skank
Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:26 | 4215319 MeelionDollerBogus
MeelionDollerBogus's picture

you know how hard it is to word-wrap ultra-tiny print on zoom when it's an IMAGE file?

damn.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:30 | 4215338 mt paul
mt paul's picture

NSA..

 

probably tracks me

by my cigar orders...

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 21:10 | 4215907 knukles
knukles's picture

Can they tell it's me by the jiggling when I'm smoothing one out?

Thu, 12/05/2013 - 00:40 | 4216572 Yes_Questions
Yes_Questions's picture

 

 

Especially when the leg of a virgin is involved

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:32 | 4215344 navy62802
navy62802's picture

If the true goal of this surveillance is to catch bad guys, then they are actually providing cover for potential targets of interest by flooding themselves with more information than they can reasonably process. However, from this simple observation, one can only conclude that there is a separate and as yet unnamed motive behind such a program. We already know that the NSA used intelligence collected on certain Muslim individuals to effectively extort them. I suspect something similar is going on here.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:58 | 4215437 cougar_w
cougar_w's picture

An alternative explanation is that they are collecting all that information because they can, and because they get more budget to collect even more, but they have no intention (and maybe, no means) to do anything with it. The whole thing could be intended to shake down Congress for mountains of money against terrism.

I don't completely buy that, by the way. I was just putting it out there. Any time you can field an "it's all about the money" theory, you probably should, because 9 times out of 10 it's all about the money.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:57 | 4215644 Atticus Finch
Atticus Finch's picture

Also, these Government Agencies have no incentive to decrease their budget.

If they spend less than their budget, their budget gets cut for the next year. It's better to exceed your budget. That way it demonstrates that you need more money in the coming year. Times this logic over 30 years and you can see how Government spending spins out of control.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:36 | 4215360 mark mchugh
mark mchugh's picture

I can vouche for the accuracy of this report.  I served on jury in a murder case and with just one name to start with, the authorities were able to ascertain who else was in the getaway car and exactly where they went.

I suppose under those circumstances not many would object to the surveillance program, but the potential for abuse is horrifying.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:45 | 4215397 mark mchugh
mark mchugh's picture

The thing is that over time, criminal types will adjust their behavior and the use of such programs to solve serious crimes so easily will be gone, so thery'll invent reasons to persecute people who's greatest crime is thinking Washington is an asshole factory.

Thu, 12/05/2013 - 00:38 | 4216562 Yes_Questions
Yes_Questions's picture

 

 

and what a crime it would be to think Washington makes assholes.

 

THEY are such before arrival

 

+1

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:46 | 4215398 MeelionDollerBogus
MeelionDollerBogus's picture

hm, so this co-traveler algorithm is really good at finding bus-routes, subways and traffic-jams.

Jolly good!

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:52 | 4215423 esum
esum's picture

please track my cellphone and my 25 throwaways.... i'll call for location service if i lose one..... like the one i just threw away... and the one i gave to a homeless person and the one i shoved up a cats ass...and the one up your wife's snatch...  track it 

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:37 | 4215579 Bangin7GramRocks
Bangin7GramRocks's picture

I would rather live the rest of my days in the FEMA camp than be that fucking paranoid. Are you running an international drug or human trafficking ring? If not, settle down Beavis!

Thu, 12/05/2013 - 00:23 | 4216509 Yes_Questions
Yes_Questions's picture

 

 

its not the phone, its the voice

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:56 | 4215430 W74
W74's picture

Will they start tracking Israeli terrorists and spies?

Thu, 12/05/2013 - 00:12 | 4216470 Yes_Questions
Yes_Questions's picture

 

 

you can do that watching cable news and the "sunday shows".

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 18:56 | 4215433 Dewey Cheatum Howe
Dewey Cheatum Howe's picture

Geez what a useless 'leak' that article is. Anyone with a shred of common sense out to know if something transmits someone eventually is going to try to intercept in transit which is legal btw same with sending a silent sms to get the phone to announce it's presence (no different than pinging a computer). If not in transit then on the receive end, if you think otherwise you are a fucking naive fool. It is an age old game. It is like talking in a room once it is in the air it is fair game. Anyone up to no good with a quarter of a brain in their head doesn't carry a phone while they are up to no good and if they do they hard off it which is remove the battery. The funny thing is for all the shit google takes for it's association with the NSA it's Android system can be customized to make a cellphone pretty much bulletproof from unwanted intrusion and encrypted communication by anyone who wants to modify the system and code the apps to encrypt the communications including sms (at least on the software level assuming someone didn't slip some malware onto the phone in a rogue app either).

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:08 | 4215467 nmewn
nmewn's picture

The great thing about my personal tracking device is, they assume I'm with it.

Jus sayin ;-)

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:13 | 4215487 RiverRoad
RiverRoad's picture

Ha!  Same here!

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:21 | 4215522 nmewn
nmewn's picture

I've got a cell phone that I'm awful forgetful about...at times ;-)

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:28 | 4215551 RiverRoad
RiverRoad's picture

I knocked off all "locator" crap on my iPhone and got a freeked-out email from Apple/ATT saying "DO YOU REALLY WANT TO DOOOO THAT?????"     YUP!!!!!

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:45 | 4215615 Atticus Finch
Atticus Finch's picture

How do you do it? 

I thought that tracking was on even when the phone is off.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 21:02 | 4215881 krispkritter
krispkritter's picture

Posted on this awhile ago. Stumbled into the middle of this tragedy and it was quite bad.  What was amazing about the police work was that the girlfriend or an aquaintance gave the police the cell # of the woman involved.  The police picked her up about 6-7 hours later, hiding in a clump of woods, still using the same cell phone. 

http://hernandotoday.com/section/search?text=dicus&x=-1095&y=10

In this case it was used for good.  Cautionary tale is, don't use your cell.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:13 | 4215472 Son of Captain Nemo
Son of Captain Nemo's picture

Brought to you by the people at "Wa-Po" with nothing to lose at this point from the journalistic integrity they no longer possess or never had...

Don't you just l;-)ove the fact that the Washington Post served this one up and now Glenn Greenwald is telling the World as of earlier this week that "less than 1%" of Ed Snowden's information on the NSA has been revealed thus far with "much more to come" ...  I still am having trouble with the notion that Michael Hastings gets snuffed out in a fiery death without knowing yet what happened to him, while Glenn Greenwald is able to dodge GHCQ and NSA with ease to get out the "biggest" of "big" stories?

Is it just me or are any of you raising the same question(s) that all of this is starting to smell tainted, and it's just one more "test" to see how much the American people will take in the violation of their own civil liberties? -Or not?

God Bless Sibel Edmonds and the greatest title for a whistleblower blog ever devised.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:18 | 4215502 MrTouchdown
MrTouchdown's picture

The Communist Post did this story? I wonder what their angle is here...

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 21:49 | 4216030 bilejones
bilejones's picture

Trying to hedge their bets in the Wonderful World of Bezos?

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:18 | 4215503 wisehiney
wisehiney's picture

I've had two of those phones for which you buy time stolen in the past two years. If you see some punk staggering around with two fifths of Bullit Bourbon and a cheap cell phone - kick his ass for me. 

Anyhow if they are tracking those phones, they must think that I am one hell of a petty criminal.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:20 | 4215520 Judge Crater
Judge Crater's picture

The National Security Agency is gathering nearly 5 billion records a day on the whereabouts of cellphones around the world, according to top-secret documents and interviews with U.S. intelligence officials, enabling the agency to track the movements of individuals — and map their relationships — in ways that would have been previously unimaginable. (Washington Post)

Paging Michael Hastings.Paging Aaron Swartz.  Paging who knows whom else the NSA can give the exact location of.  To plan an assassination, you need to know where someone will be.  The NSA, a subsidiary of the Carlyle Group, can get you that information on a near real time basis.   

 

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:38 | 4215594 cougar_w
cougar_w's picture

I think you can relax on the assassination thing. They don't need or intend to kill anyone.

However if they can place an important but "difficult" politician at (or even near) a gay bar on a regular basis, all kinds of bothersome interference can eventually be unwound with deceptive ease.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 21:07 | 4215894 Dollar Bill Hiccup
Dollar Bill Hiccup's picture

Actually, they do. Both need, intend and execute that intent.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:22 | 4215521 RabbitChow
RabbitChow's picture

NSA doesn't know where I am.  The triangulation of cell phone towers only gets someone within 1200 feet of where you actually are.  My GPS function on the phone uses too much power, so I usually have it turned off.  I also turn off the phone before going overseas, and where I wind up is where I wind up.  And why should they care? they can scrutinize whatever they like, they won't find anything.  I don't talk much either.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:34 | 4215567 css1971
css1971's picture

100 metres.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:31 | 4215531 are we there yet
are we there yet's picture

If there is a really really cute NSA girl tracking me I give her permission to inspect me more closely over dinner. Come on baby, you know you want some of this. I'll take your cell phone to places it has never been before, with ring tones you did not even know existed.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:46 | 4215618 Stuck on Zero
Stuck on Zero's picture

Sorry.  It is a nameless faceless bot that is following you.  It has no interest in you other than as a datum in its flow models.  Organic or inorganic assets are all the same to the machine. 

"You are being watched. The government has a secret system: a machine that spies on you every hour of every day..."

 

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:59 | 4215655 lex parsimoniae
lex parsimoniae's picture

I like that show.. but I hate that's it's true.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 21:08 | 4215900 joego1
joego1's picture

You will know it is her when you offer her your phone number and she replies that she already has it.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:37 | 4215587 css1971
css1971's picture

Note you need to switch both phones and sim cards to avoid being tracked, the sim cards must not have been in any of the existing phones, and they must not have been switched on within proximity of one another. i.e. you have to have "spare" phones and sims.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:39 | 4215591 Duc888
Duc888's picture

Lead lined cigar box.   Get the stuff here:  http://www.mcmaster.com/    Cut the sheet lead with tin snips.  Epoxy it to the inside of a cigar box.  Put the cigar box in your car, cell phone in the box.  No tracking you while moving.  Cost?  About $30.00

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 21:32 | 4215968 Papasmurf
Papasmurf's picture

You don't need lead.  Aluminum foil wrapped tighly is sufficient.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:40 | 4215593 Atticus Finch
Atticus Finch's picture

This is just so they know where to go to arrest you for practicing your First Amendment rights or if you complain about the loss of the Fourth Amendment.

Oh, that's right, the Constitution is just a piece of paper."

 

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:45 | 4215605 Sufiy
Sufiy's picture

With Facebook we have built our profiles for NSA, with Bitcoin we are giving up our accounts, iDs, networks

Bitcoin chain is Public Forever, chain can be constructed as Evidence like with Silk Road

Can Bitcoin Be The Digital Con Scheme? - Quantitative Analysis of the Full Bitcoin Transaction Graph

http://sufiy.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/can-bitcoin-be-digital-con-scheme.html

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:46 | 4215608 RiverRoad
RiverRoad's picture

I'm stickin' it in the fridge and workin' on ESP.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:46 | 4215610 GrinandBearit
GrinandBearit's picture

No cell phone for me.  Haven't had one for almost 4 years now.  Not many people can say that.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:55 | 4215641 NOTaREALmerican
NOTaREALmerican's picture

Bond,  James Bond.

Cue:  James Bond music...

Thu, 12/05/2013 - 00:04 | 4216441 Yes_Questions
Yes_Questions's picture

 

 

Ugh,

Connery in a FEMA camp.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 20:22 | 4215736 RockyR
RockyR's picture

and all this time I thought real criminals used prepaid burners. I guess that's just in the movies.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 21:03 | 4215888 Dollar Bill Hiccup
Dollar Bill Hiccup's picture

Read WaPo article. They track the prepaids as well, and they are immediately of special interest.

Thu, 12/05/2013 - 00:01 | 4216434 Yes_Questions
Yes_Questions's picture

 

 

Note to self: Use prepaid once,

Dispose prepaid.

Thanks.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 20:25 | 4215753 WallowaMountainMan
WallowaMountainMan's picture

"This Is How The NSA Is Tracking You This Instant"

 

does this mean i no longer have to call them every half hour to tell them where i am and where they can go if they want to find me?

 

:)

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 20:28 | 4215759 KCMLO
KCMLO's picture

Awesome!  So when you're travelling down an interstate which has a series of adjacent coverage cells with a "foreign person of interest" you can also be on the receiving end of the newly authorized drone strike on US soil.  Can't wait!

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 20:50 | 4215843 goldenbuddha454
goldenbuddha454's picture

I stuck my smart phone in a deer's ass the otherday while I was out hunting with tranquilizer darts.  Hope they have fun droning bambi.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 21:02 | 4215878 Burticus
Burticus's picture

Boy, the paid trolls pounced on that headline!

Following my cell phone, are you?  Sounds like a good way to set up an ambush.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 21:05 | 4215892 knukles
knukles's picture

Whenever I find a cell phone these days I call the NSA and rub the end of my weenie all over the camera.

Wed, 12/04/2013 - 23:00 | 4216259 Peter Pan
Peter Pan's picture

So it's a person to person call?

 

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