US intelligence agencies use mobile phone microphones for eavesdropping.
US intelligence agencies use mobile phone microphones for eavesdropping
In case of urgent need and with the sanction of the court, the American special service FBI can secretly and without the knowledge of the owner of a mobile phone remotely turn on the microphone of this phone, turning it into a portable device for listening to conversations of both the owner and those around him.
According to the television company ABC, information about the existence of a special secret FBI program became public knowledge as a result of its mention in the ruling of the federal court of the southern district in New York, where the case of representatives of the famous mafia clan Genovese was considered.
Court documents show that the FBI used a program called a roving bug to spy on mobsters, in which suspects' cell phones were remotely turned on and transmitted all their conversations to a listening station run by the intelligence agency.
The device functioned regardless of whether the phone was on or off, and intercepted conversations within its range, no matter where it was,' federal Judge Lewis Kaplan wrote in his ruling, finding that the FBI's actions were fully consistent with U.S. law.
The judge denied a motion by the defendants' lawyers to have the mobile phone wiretap materials declared illegal and excluded from evidence.
ABC reports that the mobile phone bug program was deployed by the FBI under a court order after all other methods of wiretapping and surveillance failed.
Counterterrorism consultant James Atkinson confirmed to the network that «the FBI can access and manipulate cell phones remotely without any physical contact.»
Atkins added that «any recently manufactured cell phone has a built-in tracking device that allows eavesdroppers to pinpoint someone's location to within a few feet.»
FBI spokesman James Margolis, contacted by ABC, declined to comment on the program, saying only that the FBI «does not discuss sensitive surveillance technology,» but «any electronic surveillance is carried out on the basis of a court order and under constant legal review.»
Referring to experts, ABC reports that the only way to prevent a mobile phone from being used as a remote eavesdropping device is to remove the battery from the switched-off phone.
Source: RIA Novosti