The FBI maybe following you with this: Wired gets ahold of FBI tracking unit-breaks it down!

What follows is iFixit's analysis of the first-ever dissection of an FBI vehicle tracker.

The FBI's use of GPS vehicle tracking devices is becoming a contentious privacy issue in the courts, with the Obama administration seeking Supreme Court approval for its use of the devices without a warrant, and a federal civil rights lawsuit targeting the Justice Department for tracking the movements of an Arab-American student.

In the midst of this legal controversy, Threat Level decided to take a look at the inside of one of the devices — which are generally custom-made for law enforcement. Working with the teardown artists at iFixit, we examined a device an environmental activist discovered on her vehicle in 2005, which she recently provided to us.

Step 1

We finally have one of these on the teardown table! Being in its presence, I can almost feel my civil liberties being flushed down the toilet. Before we whip out the blowtorches and jackhammers, here's a look at the entire tracking system. Clockwise from the top, the system is composed of:

Battery pack; GPS antenna; Transmitter-receiver unit; Magnetic mounting bracket

The components of the system are all attached to the tracked vehicle with extremely powerful magnets. Some were so stubbornly attached that they ripped out of the mounting brackets to forever remain stuck on the undercarriage of the host vehicle.

Step 10 (my favorite of the article):
The FBI will find you if you find their tracking device.
You cannot choose to be not tracked by the FBI.
You can legally be tracked by one of these units.
We'll be right back, the FBI is knocking on our door.



Source: www.wired.com...

I don't know about you but I don't like it at all. I wonder what the requirements are to be a receiver of one of these? Heck, a Eviro Peace Activitist had one on her car. Things must be slow around the Hoover BLDG>

You have to go to the article to get the rest of the info and teck breakdown.

For the Conspiratist in us all.... Spooky...

Thumbs up to WIRED Mag for the procurement and then break-down of this device. They better be locking their doors a little tighter...

The old 80's song: "Somebody's Watching Me....." keeps playing in my head.

so can an individual who finds one of
these things on their vehicle, rip it off
and destroy it ??? They were not
provided with a search warrant
before finding it ???

never mind: it was covered already

If I found one of these on my car I would take it off and stick it under a bus and watch as the FBI went in circles following it.

we are all walking around with a tracker on us, we all also are bugged with a listening device, and we do this willingly.. with our cellphone..
all our email communications and interests can be monitored through the internet..
most new cars these days are fitted with trackers..
im sure if the fbi, cia, mi5, kgb wanted to monitor your activivty, it would not be that hard for them to do it,
i dont think they would need to go to the effort of placing one of these 90's type bugs or trackers on you, your vehicle or home..
unless of course they wanted you to know they are watching you..

I found this article most enlightening.

How to check your vehicle for devices.

www.wired.com...

reply to post by boondock-saint


yes but their $500 GPS detector
is really just a $40 guassmeter

also, they forgot to mention that the active trackers may only emit a signal once every 30 minutes or so.

so if you are going to attempt to detect the signal, just remember to sit there for awhile because you arent going to get it on your first pass. also, dont take your eyes off the meter because your only confirmation is a half second blip.

The second generation of these is in development by the Air Force to place on rocket payloads. GPS metric tracking will be additional data for the launch range tracking system (radar telemetry, optics are currently the only way to record data).

Uhm, ok.. Maybe I took "the short bus" to school this morning, but why would they bother when the black box system has been in most vehicles since about 1997 (Cutting Edge News)

In 1997, the NTSB recommended that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration create a plan to put black boxes in all vehicles. The technology already had been proven in race cars.

CBC News article that tells you what the black box does if you're not familiar.

Onstar, Gps (built in or not) your phone, Iphone, etc, etc, etc.. You don't think Big Brother has his eye on you already if he wanted to? WHY would they go putting these boxes on cars to track you when they can in so many ways already?

reply to post by Invariance

WHY would they go putting these boxes on cars to track you when they can in so many ways already?

Not everyone in the USA utilizes modern tech. Matter-of-fact they go out of their way not to use it-for the reasons we can all assume is mostly criminal. And can be altered or manipulated by the right people also-thus causing errors and/or incomplete infomation.

However, all those items you mention, or allude to, require court orders also. They keep it in house because Loose Lips Sink Ships..... But then, it opens up the whole potenital for abuse by the F.B.I.-for example.

I heard that when you buy a new car and finance it they install GPS devices in the car under the carpeting. I believe it's only for REPO reasons but I can imagine the Feds getting a subpoena to get your location if they needed it.

What a cowardly pathetic tactic, im not even worried about it, look at history, bitch ass cowards never win...

reply to post by BanMePlz


Unfortunately, they do win. At frist.

It takes the courts a few years to catch up to them (when they do). By then they got what they need and have moved on. IMO.

Gee, looks a lot like a pipe bomb. I might have to call the bomb squad to have them come remove it.

reply to post by Cryptonomicon


Man, that would be hilarious. A stake out team... sitting there.... all of sudden...

BOMB Squad all over the place.

I wonder what they would say to get it back-before the Explosive Techs blew it up.

I also got to wondering, how many of these things do they have and how programable are they? Does each agent get one when they graduate... like their badge and guns? lol

Originally posted by Misterlondon
we are all walking around with a tracker on us, we all also are bugged with a listening device, and we do this willingly.. with our cellphone..
all our email communications and interests can be monitored through the internet..
most new cars these days are fitted with trackers..
im sure if the fbi, cia, mi5, kgb wanted to monitor your activivty, it would not be that hard for them to do it,
i dont think they would need to go to the effort of placing one of these 90's type bugs or trackers on you, your vehicle or home..
unless of course they wanted you to know they are watching you..

The stasi are definitely entering private properties and creeping around. A few years ago, one farmer's dog started barking after midnite. The farmer walked around the corner to confront two "ninja" types in full blackout gear head-to-toe.

The farmer grabbed a hoe (shovel?) and threatened the pair. These two miscreants froze and then starting backing away with very small, slow steps. The same way you would back away from a predator. The ninjas backed into a pasture and disappeared.

Want to bet the police are employing ex-military "scouts"?

I can build the same thing for under $30, and its smaller.



Enjoy!

reply to post by anon72


Thanks for the clarification, and I agree.. I thought it looked like a bomb too

my car already says police traceable on it so it's not like I have a choice in the matter.

reply to post by yourmaker


What do you mean, exactly.

Please expand on your comment.

Originally posted by yourmaker
my car already says police traceable on it so it's not like I have a choice in the matter.

Except the choice you had when you bought the damn thing.
Chalk it up to your own fault.