cell phone anonymity

[Ray Dillinger]

On the larger purchases, the costs drop down to the forty-cents-a-minute 
range.  Totally worth it if you really *need* anonymity on the phone.  

Of course, anonymity is relative; these phones have built-in GPS chips 
for 911 calls, and these are activated from the central office, not by 
a 911-sensing circuit in the handset.  IOW, it is not impossible for 
someone with the right gear and knowhow to query the phone for its 
exact latitude and longitude at any moment when it's in use.  (I don't 
know whether it can be queried when it's switched off, nor if so whether 
removing the main batteries will stop it).  So if you're into hard 
anonymity, keep it inside a faraday cage when you're not using it and 
don't use it from inside your own dwelling. 

Faraday cages don't have to be fancy; a fruitcake tin will usually do.

					Bear


On Sun, 7 Jan 2001, Paul H. Merrill wrote:

>But, the rates on the prepaid services are
>exorbitant, almost a dollar a minute for the
>smaller recharges and they never do get good.  As
>always, you don't get more than you pay for.
>
>PHM
>
>Andrew Jenks wrote:
>> 
>> In the US they are now selling prepaid phones in electronics stores,
>> computer stores, and -- my favorite -- some Blockbuster movie rental
>> locations.  You go in, pick up a box, pay cash at the register, and you're
>> done.  No information is required at the time of purchase.  Refills
>> available from various retailers depending upon your service company.
>> Again, you walk in, pick one up, pay cash, and leave.
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> X-Loop: openpgp.net
>> From: montag montag [mailto:cels451 at yahoo.com]
>> Sent: Sunday, January 07, 2001 10:07 AM
>> To: cypherpunks at toad.com
>> Subject: cell phone anonymity
>> 
>> Please post the actual experiences about obtaining a
>> pre-paid cell phone (aka "mobile" in the less
>> developed
>> world) without revealing any (correct) identifying
>> info,
>> such as address, telephone no, name, etc.
>> 
>> I know that it can be done in Canada. Unsure about US,
>> UK and the rest of europe.
>> 
>> regards,
>> 
>> __________________________________________________
>> Do You Yahoo!?
>> Yahoo! Photos - Share your holiday photos online!
>> http://photos.yahoo.com/
>
>-- 
>Paul H. Merrill, MCNE, MCSE+I, CISSP
>PaulMerrill at ACM.Org
>
>