Yes, it is also illegal to post PHI over pagers, due to HIPAA addendum in 2016.
But 1986 ECPA law forbids decoding pager messages unless they were intended for you.
You do need authorization to buy a transmitter though, at least where I live.
Weird it's regulated, given you can use mobile phones like that (sure, you need coverage).
(And the fact that it’s taking so long to implement link layer authorization, barely a scratch in the security dent…)
The audio quality on the analogue signal is a lot better than the P25 version, which is often harder to understand.
Haven't read a Wired article in months :-|
And thanks to poster for adding archive link.
Got what they asked for.
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_25
[2]: https://www.reddit.com/r/tacticalgear/comments/1f4d5dr/psa_p...
tptacek•3h ago
ronsor•3h ago
tptacek•2h ago
colmmacc•2h ago
It really would be better to hide in the noise of 5G.
buildbot•2h ago
Now I wonder if you can fingerprint antennas…
dumah•2h ago
Antennas would be much more difficult and likely moot.
https://arxiv.org/html/2402.06250v1
mystraline•2h ago
I have a detection on there for the MAC address "00:25:DF:*". That's the MAC OUI prefix for Taser International.
I keep it on while driving, because the badgecams and hardware in cop cars spurts this out regularly. So even unmarked cars show themselves.
jasonjayr•2h ago
For about $700, you can get some pre-made kit to use SDR to do Radio direction finding. IIRC this device uses the same chips as a RTL-SDR, but it uses 4-5 of them, all synchronized and has a signal emitter for calibration, and a nice web ui to report the data.
(I have not used it, but I've been learning about all sorts of neat radio products as I'm dabling and learning about SDR)
nullc•1h ago
I have one and have found it to be quite easy to hunt down ham repeaters that you can get to transmit more or less non-stop... but relatively hard to use for intermittent transmitters.
I need to see if I can figure out how to plub in my GNSS compass output because inferring orientation from motion requires an awful lot of moving around and is less reliable than I'd like.
nullc•1h ago
Criminals sophisticated enough to do that are usually not going to get caught regardless, encryption or no and are generally savvy enough to not make themselves a serious threat to public comfort and order.
I don't think its a long reach to say that the public may be better off with more ability to monitor police activity at a cost of being weaker against that kind of criminal.
tptacek•1h ago
(Having said all that, our muni voted against encrypting radios; we lost 2-1 in a vote with the 2 other munis we share dispatch with).
Unless you're talking about criminals doing traffic analytic RF attacks, in which case, I agree, who cares?
nonameiguess•2h ago
andrewflnr•1h ago
lazide•2h ago
Now you can’t. For better or worse, eh?
tptacek•1h ago
The City of Chicago makes decrypted audio available, just on a 30 minute delay. That's a sane compromise, I think.
cptskippy•1h ago
LeoPanthera•1h ago
They're a public service funded by taxpayer dollars. Knowing what they're doing seems reasonable.
tptacek•1h ago
hypercube33•33m ago
One evening we are on AIM chatting and he explains what is going on: noise complaint at a house down the block (kids partying)
He looks the address up and calls them to warn them and sits back to see if they do anything.
sounds like they managed to bail before anyone showed up to the address.
baby_souffle•26m ago