Tracking Mobiles ?
Discussion
Fat Bloke in the pub said that Police can track mobile phones by thier signals, so they can track you if they wish by your car phone. I seem to remember something about this concerning how the police caugth Ian Huntly.
However he said that if it is a pay as you go they cannot track your movements ??
Is there any truth to this, if so what's the difference ?
However he said that if it is a pay as you go they cannot track your movements ??
Is there any truth to this, if so what's the difference ?
I very much doubt they can track mobile phone signals to within any degree of accuracy. You need a fair few references, as in the case of GPS which uses a fair few sattelites to pin point your position which i dont think mobile phone networks work in that way.
However if i'm wrong then it wouldn't be any different for contract or pay as you go
However if i'm wrong then it wouldn't be any different for contract or pay as you go
You can track mobiles easily, I run a courier firm and use this web site to know where any of my couriers are www.verilocation.com/ and they can pinpoint to about 500 metres IIRC.
Drifting
Drifting
There are several companies offering internet-based mobile phone tracking
eg
You can track a mobile phone within moments of registering with FollowUs.
Use FollowUs to find your mobile phone, family, friends or employees without the need to buy expensive tracking equipment.
All you need is a PC with Internet connection and the mobile number that you want to locate.
Once the mobile phone is activated for location, you can then view its approximate position using the FollowUs website.
The phone user usually gets a text message asking for consent. Accuracy depends upon the number of antennae in the region but can be from several km in rural areas to 100 yards in built up areas apparently.
Scary
"Reg"
eg
You can track a mobile phone within moments of registering with FollowUs.
Use FollowUs to find your mobile phone, family, friends or employees without the need to buy expensive tracking equipment.
All you need is a PC with Internet connection and the mobile number that you want to locate.
Once the mobile phone is activated for location, you can then view its approximate position using the FollowUs website.
The phone user usually gets a text message asking for consent. Accuracy depends upon the number of antennae in the region but can be from several km in rural areas to 100 yards in built up areas apparently.
Scary
"Reg"
There's loads of companies that offer this service.
verilocation as mentioned above, www.mobilelocate.co.uk, www.traceamobile.com, etc
Accuracy would depend on the number of transmitters serving the cell you were in. In areas where there is a higher density of relay masts, some companies claim 50m-100m. Out in the sticks it would be a lot worse.
damn - beaten to it again
>> Edited by SotonS2 on Wednesday 9th February 18:15
verilocation as mentioned above, www.mobilelocate.co.uk, www.traceamobile.com, etc
Accuracy would depend on the number of transmitters serving the cell you were in. In areas where there is a higher density of relay masts, some companies claim 50m-100m. Out in the sticks it would be a lot worse.
damn - beaten to it again
>> Edited by SotonS2 on Wednesday 9th February 18:15
I thought I heard a while back that the US government wanted mobile phone companies to offer technology such that mobiles could be tracked to within 10 meters?
I thought I also read that mobiles could now be activated without the owners knowledge, enabling mobiles to be used as bugging devices!!
Don't quote me on these
I thought I also read that mobiles could now be activated without the owners knowledge, enabling mobiles to be used as bugging devices!!
Don't quote me on these
supraman2954 said:
I thought I also read that mobiles could now be activated without the owners knowledge, enabling mobiles to be used as bugging devices!!
Don't quote me on these
It exists already......
Many mobiles are activated when in pockets and handbags etc, due to owners not enabling keylock. It must b a good source of income for the mobile companies.
The links to various tracking companies are misleading. They will all install a GPS device within the vehicle. The device as a GSM receiver which allows it to communicate its position. The accurancy is as per GPS around 10m.
Your mobile can be tracked by trianglation from the different cell sites your mobile communicates with. The accurance depends on a number of factors not least the number of cell sites it can see, could be anything from within a mile to ten's of miles.
What is normally used in police cases is just a rough area as the phone moves from cell to cell. Eg they can tell if you are in Oxford or Newbury.
PAYG phones make no difference, nor does it have to be a phone eg the GSM Device in the GPS devices mentioned early would be tracked. Nor do you have to make or receive calls all you need to do is have the phone on.
PAYG is harder to track the individual but they try to clamp down on this by insisting on bank on home address details when registering.
While we are at it, the encryption has also been broken on GSM.
Your mobile can be tracked by trianglation from the different cell sites your mobile communicates with. The accurance depends on a number of factors not least the number of cell sites it can see, could be anything from within a mile to ten's of miles.
What is normally used in police cases is just a rough area as the phone moves from cell to cell. Eg they can tell if you are in Oxford or Newbury.
PAYG phones make no difference, nor does it have to be a phone eg the GSM Device in the GPS devices mentioned early would be tracked. Nor do you have to make or receive calls all you need to do is have the phone on.
PAYG is harder to track the individual but they try to clamp down on this by insisting on bank on home address details when registering.
While we are at it, the encryption has also been broken on GSM.
Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 or RIPA has to be used to make use of any covert surveilence methods.
RIPA authorites are not given out willy nilly.
Unless you are of serious interest to Police because of your subversive activities, it is unlikely that RIPA authority will be given to follow you about via this method
RIPA authorites are not given out willy nilly.
Unless you are of serious interest to Police because of your subversive activities, it is unlikely that RIPA authority will be given to follow you about via this method
gone said:
Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 or RIPA has to be used to make use of any covert surveilence methods.
RIPA authorites are not given out willy nilly.
That's only if you want to use the evidence in the court of law. Nothing stops the security services doing illegal, in fact, the act specically prevents you from finding out if it is. Essentially the same argument as to why the SS Home Office is refusing to allow wire taps as evidence.
Not to mention the fact the SS HS can also for national security grounds order the incept of EVERY call through a PTO if he alone chooses to do so.
Either way it could be argued it is exempt under 3C as understanding what mobile is logged to what base station is an operational requirement
Ah, a topic I can pontficate on at length with some knowledge.....
GSM is (usually) as accurate as the cell you're in. Which can be as small as 50m or so in a dense urban environment (picocell) or several kilometers (macrocell) in more rural areas.
GPRS is pretty similar.
UMTS (3G) can nail you to about 10-20m in urban environments, due to multiple legs (basically, the system needs to know the time delay from transmitter to phone to work. If you have 3 links to 3 cells, triangulation will position you).
UMTS with a AGPS phone can (on emergancy calls only) position you to GPS accuracy within 20 seconds or so of the call being made. Often faster. It's a US requirement, and I know of no European operator that supports it.
GSM is (usually) as accurate as the cell you're in. Which can be as small as 50m or so in a dense urban environment (picocell) or several kilometers (macrocell) in more rural areas.
GPRS is pretty similar.
UMTS (3G) can nail you to about 10-20m in urban environments, due to multiple legs (basically, the system needs to know the time delay from transmitter to phone to work. If you have 3 links to 3 cells, triangulation will position you).
UMTS with a AGPS phone can (on emergancy calls only) position you to GPS accuracy within 20 seconds or so of the call being made. Often faster. It's a US requirement, and I know of no European operator that supports it.
If you like that, youre gonna love this: www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20011219S0016
http://slate.msn.com/id/2087976
www.prisonplanet.com/022904rfidtagsexplode.html
Be afraid.
http://slate.msn.com/id/2087976
www.prisonplanet.com/022904rfidtagsexplode.html
Be afraid.
gone said:
Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 or RIPA has to be used to make use of any covert surveilence methods.
RIPA authorites are not given out willy nilly.
Unless you are of serious interest to Police because of your subversive activities, it is unlikely that RIPA authority will be given to follow you about via this method
What sort of "subversive activities" are we talking about, Gone? How about reporting the news as part of an independant (ie not government-friendly) media organisation?
www.theregister.co.uk/2004/10/08/fbi_indymedia_raids
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