back to article What are cellphone networks blabbing about you to the Feds? A US senator wants to know

US Senator Edward Markey (D-MA) wants America's mobile networks to reveal the types of customer information they share with Uncle Sam. The carriers publish "transparency" reports detailing how many demands for sensitive information they receive from the governments, and how many they comply with – but this is not enough for …

  1. Bucky 2
    Trollface

    Should be simple enough

    Each government request would naturally be accompanied by a court order. Such a court order would naturally detail what information was being requested.

    All the cell company would need to do is provide the court document numbers of all the requests.

    Ta da! Done.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Pint

      Re: Should be simple enough

      Thanks, I needed a good laugh.

    2. Someone Else Silver badge
      Coat

      @ Bucky 2 -- Re: Should be simple enough

      Chances are, they are accompanied by a "court order"...from the Sooper-Sekrit (and extra-constitutional) FISA court. The orders probably go something like this:

      Pursuant to action 14-666-WTF0, the Appellant (hereinafter referred to as "Snoop") is hereby directed to obtain from said Communications Companies delineated in Attachment B (hereinafter referred to as "Companies") to turn over to Snoop whatever the fuck Snoop requests, within 24 hours of Snoop's request to Companies".

      See? Nice and "legal" and all....

    3. streaky

      Re: Should be simple enough

      It is simple, "all of it" is the answer.

  2. elDog

    Faraday cages?

    Shouldn't we all just get in the habit of wrapping some tin-foil (perhaps left over from our hat) around our phone when it's not in use?

    Personally, I don't want to get the more-frequent scamming style calls anyway. My children have long stopped phoning "the old man." I already know where I am and where I'm going and when I'm wrong, I'm right.

    1. Voland's right hand Silver badge

      Re: Faraday cages?

      An old microwave will do nicely. Fridges are quite good too.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Faraday cages?

        But what good is a phone that can't RECEIVE a call? Especially when you're out and about and still just as vulnerable?

    2. tom dial Silver badge

      Re: Faraday cages?

      http://disklabs.com/products/faraday-bags

  3. tekHedd

    A Member Of The Senate Expressed Actual Interest In Privacy Issues!

    Shock! Surprise! *sigh* We are so screwed.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    No data was collected in volation of the Fourth Amendment.

    No actual data was collected. Metadata apparently is not data (in agency speak anyhow) it only becomes data when a human actually looks at it (A bit like Schrödinger's cat - Who knew that Government workers had applied Quantum superposition in their daily jobs, to avoid going to jail).

    So now it is time for plan B - For the agencies to hire Monkeys with Mind-Reading Brain Scanners. This is so that no human will have looked at the actual metadata, and converted it into data, and the Fourth Amendment will still have it's full virginity.

  5. tom dial Silver badge

    "[Sen. Markey] is also asking carriers to disclose when they first handed over encryption keys to government agencies, allowing the g-men to decrypt subscribers' private phone calls."

    Has he not heard of the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA), passed in 1994? He should see 47 USC 1002 and related material, then consider whether it is necessary for the carriers to turn over encryption keys that they may have. This question is a bit like asking someone whether he still beats his wife.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Not Surprising.

    I have concluded that my government is capable of nearly anything. I do not own a smart phone and the cell phone that I do have I use very little. It is my car for emergency use and no one but the phone company has its number.

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