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Sinaloa cartel used phone data and surveillance cameras to find FBI informants(reuters.com)
61 points by _tk_ 2 days ago | 23 comments
  • RRWagner2 days ago

    The most important take-away of the story is that if the government has the power to gather all available data of people, sooner or later the same information will be in the hands of criminals targeting those same people.

    • Arubis2 days ago |parent

      And oftentimes the government and the criminals will be the same people—if not at the beginning then by convergence.

    • vkou2 days ago |parent

      And sometimes, the government becomes the criminals and everyone discovers that it's really difficult to get them to hold themselves accountable.

    • OutOfHere2 days ago |parent

      Furthermore, the government is complicit in the intentional insecurity of the phone networks, protocols, and operating systems.

    • pkkkzip2 days ago |parent

      also a demonstration of resources of the state vs those of a cartel

      quite good and poses significant challenge to the state

  • firefax2 days ago

    I'm surprised how few people don't put their phone in airplane mode when not actively making a call.

    • cschep2 days ago |parent

      Your surprise at this makes you an extreme outlier.

    • gausswho2 days ago |parent

      I do this at home to avoid needlessly hunting for towers that are barely in range. But I am concerned that if I don't leave the house for a few days the carrier (Google Fi / TMobile) may be discarding messages. I've heard mixed opinions on if this is happening. But I am missing calls even with WiFi calling on.

    • NewJazz2 days ago |parent

      Ummm... You don't want to receive calls and texts?

      • firefax2 days ago |parent

        >Ummm... You don't want to receive calls and texts?

        not really

        • echoangle2 days ago |parent

          But how can you be surprised that other people don't do this if you expect to be able to call them? If you are able to call them, they have to have their phone not in airplane mode, right? Or do you only do scheduled calls?

          • firefaxa day ago |parent

            I check the voicemail and return the call when I am making calls.

            • NewJazza day ago |parent

              How do you know when to check your voicemail?

              • firefax9 hours ago |parent

                When I feel like it.

                • DougN73 hours ago |parent

                  So basically your system only works for you, because if all those people you might call did the same thing, the chances of you both checking your phones and trying to call at the same time are very low.

        • gavinray2 days ago |parent

          >Doesn't want to receive calls or texts

          >Owns a phone

          • gausswho2 days ago |parent

            > Doesn't mind when normies quaintly describe their pocket supercomputer as a 'phone'

            • fc417fc8022 days ago |parent

              It's a mobile network terminal and camera that I occasionally use to place calls to businesses, after all. The business can leave a voicemail if they need to reach me. My family and friends can send written messages. I don't see the issue.

          • frereubu2 days ago |parent

            Sounds like my mum.

    • dc3ka day ago |parent

      i am pretty confident that at least 99.99% of people dont put their phone in airplane mode when not actively making a call

    • HumanOstrich2 days ago |parent

      That's not how any of this works.

  • richardatlarge2 days ago

    By now, the FBI should know better than to underestimate the cartels.

  • aaron6952 days ago

    [dead]