Cellphone Privacy Ruling by the Secret Court

The secret court that authorizes the collection of data on almost every phone call placed in the United States (the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court) has reauthorized the intelligence authorities to continue the practice for another three months.  This is not a news event because this court has always done whatever the intelligence agencies ask.  I'll leave it to other bloggers to discuss the 4th amendment implications of this practice.

So this would be an appropriate time to discuss what exactly is happening with the collection of cellphone information and what options are available to you to keep your conversations private.

First, what they are doing in a nutshell (if you haven't heard this already):

The National Security Agency (NSA) is collecting certain data points for each phone call made inside and outside the United States.  They have admitted to collecting the phone number that is being called and the phone number that is calling.  They have also admitted to recording the time that the call occurred as well as the duration of the call along with geolocational data for the caller and callee (such as which cell towers handled the phone call).  This information is called metadata.  There is nothing to stop them from recording the contents of the call and I assume that they are, though there has been no admission of recording conversations without probable cause and a court order.

What can you do about it Privacy Action Plan (PAP):

PRS Level 2 - Buy a prepaid phone with cash.  Wal-mart offers a whole array of prepaid phones that you can buy for cash.  Depending on the local laws, prepaid phones may be available to those who do not have a permanent address, phone number, or valid credit card. This makes them popular with students away from home and travelers.  Take the battery out when not in use as it can be used to track your movements.  Also it is easy to figure out who you are by who you are calling.  More on this below.

PRS Level 2 - Encrypt your email with something like PGP.  PGP, which stands for pretty good privacy, encrypts your email communications so that the only person who can read your message is someone with the key.  However, there are lots of potential work arounds for PGP which would allow an unauthorized party to read your emails.  Some of these include, breaking into the sender's or the receiver's email via either computer or either email provider.  Another is interception of the key.  If a third party has your key, they can read your email.  Lastly, code breaking decrypters can decrypt your email.  These are supercomputers that can break all sorts of encryption codes. 

PRS Level 3 - Use a pay phone.  Pay phones are said to number less than 300,000 across the US (down from over 2.5 million in 1998) due to the growth of cell phones and the popularity of the 'Obama phone' program as many low income people used to comprise the majority of pay phone users.  While they are fewer in number, they are still available at very busy locations such as bus stops, airports, truck stops, some hotels (near the conference room areas) and some larger shopping venues.  The phone may reveal the telephone number to your caller, but that won't necessarily do much since it is a pubic payphone and isn't associated with you.  Disadvantages:  This isn't a level 4 because pay phone calls are still subject to metadata collection which can easily identify you, especially if you use the phone multiple times to call different people.

PRS Level 3 - Write a note.  The art of simply writing a note has been falling to the wayside with the invention of e-mail, but it is certainly a great way to communicate privately.  Drop it off personally because all of the USPS mail sent is also harvested for metadata (this will be the subject of a future post).  Disadvantages:  Notes can be found by others.  They also require your presence (or a proxy) which can compromise your privacy and the presence of the receiver.

PRS Level 4 - Modify a wired home intercom system.  A home intercom system is like owning your own private phone company.  You'll want to choose wired, since wireless signals could be intercepted.  Admittedly, this solution isn't for everyone.  But depending on where you are located, you may be able to run the intercom wires, along with the appropriate signal amplifiers, to the homes of neighbors using a system like one of these: http://www.home-technology-store.com/intercom/voice-intercom.aspx.  These systems even allow you to 'call' a certain intercom so you aren't broadcasting to everyone with an intercom unit in their home.

PRS Level 4 - Train a homing pigeon.  Homing pigeons can fly very long distances and communicate messages that are impossible to track without an aircraft.  There is more information here: American Racing Pigeon Union or you can Google 'How to train a homing pigeon'.  There is a whole community of people who can do this for you or can guide you in training your own bird to relay messages for you offering exceptional privacy. 

Why is a prepaid cellphone paid for with cash and registered anonymously only a PRS Level 2?  Because a prepaid cellphone phone number is easily read by the person you are calling, undoing any hope of privacy.  Furthermore, it is an easy job of anyone with access to your calling data to know who you are simply by who you are calling.  No one has to even hear your voice, as a simple computer algorithm will determine who you are because you have a unique calling pattern, much like a fingerprint.  Also, it is very easy to establish your movement by cell tower tracking which is being recorded and stored.  As a result, you are back to your identity being revealed and your movements being tracked.  Perhaps if you were able to block your number and used the phone once in one location then threw it away it could be the equivalent of a Level 3, but simply using a pay phone to maintain your privacy is a much better (and cheaper) Level 3 option.

What other ideas can you think of for increasing the privacy of your communications?  Please share in the comment section below.