Latest RW Spin >> Disposable Cell Phone Purchases a Result of NSA Leak...

[sabra]

http://www.webcommentary.com/asp/ShowArticle.asp?id=kourij&date=060115

Disposable Cell Phone Purchases a Result of NSA Leak and NY Times Story
by Jim Kouri, CPP

The FBI has initiated an intense investigation into the increase in purchases of large numbers of disposable cell phones by individuals who emanate from the Middle East and Pakistan.

The cheap cell phones, which do not require purchasers to sign a contract or have a credit card, have many legitimate uses, and are popular with those who have bad credit or for use as emergency phones tucked away in motor vehicle glove compartments. But, according to law enforcement commanders, since they can be difficult or impossible to track, the phones are widely used by organized crime gangs, drug traffickers and terrorists.

The FBI agents are closely monitoring this dangerous situation, which came to light following recent large-quantity purchases in California and Texas. In fact, these two purchases occurred after the New York Times published a story regarding a top secret NSA surveillance program which was leaked by an official or officials unknown at this time.

...

The growing use of the throwaway cell phones has been cited by President Bush as an important justification for expanding the wiretap laws under the Patriot Act.

"Law enforcement officials can now use what's now called roving wiretaps, which will prevent a terrorist from switching cell phones to get a message out to one of his buddies," said the President during a press conference following the NSA spy leak.

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. Disposable phones are also popular with people who can't afford

a monthly contract for a cell phone.

[napi21]

6. Absolutely! I don't have a cell phone, and the only reason I

ever wished I had one was a few very rare occasions when I was in the car, waiting for someone and they were late. It would have been nice to be able to call them and find out what the problem was. I have considered buying one of these disposable ones for those rare times and just keeping it in the glove box. Why should I pay for a damn monthly contract when I won't use it?

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. And have you noticed the disappearance of pay phones?

[napi21]

14. YES! They're non-existant!

We are members on a Yahoo site called Freecycle, where people list items they no longer need (everything is free) rather than take them to a landfill. We were going to pick up a dog carrier, but even though I followed the lady's directions exactly, we couldn't find he house. We stopped at 2 gas stations and a drug store to find a payphone to call her for clarification. NONE of those places had payphones, but the drug store told me to just go to the back of the store and use the customer phone near where you wait for your prescriptions.

I even noticed, when you ask a clerk if they have a pay phone, they look at you like you are from another planet!

[proud2BlibKansan]

17. I joined Freecycle too

but I was getting so much email from them that I canceled. It is a relly cool idea.

[napi21]

18. I think it depends of where you live.

My cousin lives in Pittsburgh, Pa. and joined after I showed him the great things that were posted here in N Ga. He said the same as you, there were sooo many emails, he canceled his membership. I think Freecycle needs to take some of these very large metropolitan areas and preak them into sectors. Maybe north, south, east, & west, or by zip code, or something. He said he was getting several hundred emails a day!

It is a very good idea though. I've listed several things and I've also gotten several. Saves a lot of money as well as saving the landfills!

[formercia]

10. That's why we have a Trac Phone

and the minutes roll over at the end of the year. As little as we use a cell phone, it's a lot cheaper than a monthly contract.

If you're worried, get one. If it's such a big deal, make penalties for using a disposable phone in the commission of a crime. Don't penalize legitimate users. This is getting to be like the gun issue.

[niyad]

2. how long before they are made illegal?

[DBoon]

5. One day, cash will be illegal

all purchases will be required to be made via individually traceable mechanisms

Implied in the whole discussion about disposable cell phones is that any communication not design to facilitate monitoring is a threat. Cash transactions can't be monitored by the government either, and are often used for ilicit purposes (bribery, drug purchases, etc.)

[formercia]

12. so they can track your spending habits.

Big Brother wants to know all you do and say and when you deviate they take you away.

[napi21]

3. Even with a wire tap, they still won't be able to tell who's making the

calls. Unless I completely misunderstand cell phones, the best info a wire tap of a pre paid cell phone can give you is the closest tower the signal bounced from. So BFD! They know there was a call made "somewhere" in XXXX area. Am I wrong?

[ret5hd]

4. well, actually, ...

because a cellphone signal is usually picked up by more than one tower (and rejected by all except the one with the strongest signal) they can sometimes narrow the location (by a lot) using triangulation. not as close as gps, but...

[formercia]

13. And if you're really stupid and leve your phone on all the time

they will know everywhere you've been.

[RufusEarl]

7. Perhaps it's a trick!

And the FBI are doing what they do really well, and that's making the water muddy. I suggest it's a way to give talking points to Repug talking heads, to simply muddy the water around the Bu$h/NSA scandal.

[liveoaktx]

9. VIDEO-Countdown's take on this

skepticism

[adarling]

11. they have been around for years

give me a break, tell me noone believes this crap!!!

[High Plains]

15. Jim Khouri is a lunatic.

A couple of weeks ago he had a column explaining that the Democrats were opposing the Patriot Act because they were acting at the behest of their drug-using base. I'm not kidding.

[Sal316]

16. He's commonly on PHXNews.

I rip his columns to shred constantly.

He is an idiot.