Tools to block mobile phones - Weapons against industrial intelligence and terrorism

Before President Bush visited the UK, the country's media had talked quite excitedly about the security measures that would be applied to protect him.In addition to boring stories such as road closures that will block traffic, newspapers also provide an interesting topic: whether the British government will prevent cell phone waves along the routes that Bush will go. by?

If they do that, they will choose to turn off the mobile phone network on those routes or use a mobile-wave device in a limited area.But in the end, the cell phones still work normally.

Ignoring the "story" of the British press, the story also reminds us of a very real problem: the benefits and harms of mobile phone interfering devices - currently being sold on. The Internet and probably will become as popular as mobile phones;Should state authorities permit the use of such tools.

It's not natural that British press imagines a measure to prevent cell phone waves to protect President Bush: terrorists can completely use their cell phones to detonate bombs from miles away. or even in another country. By connecting a cell phone to an explosive block and calling that number, one can detonate a bomb (the electrical signal that activates the cell phone ring will act as an explosive signal). .

The principle of mobile phone interference is very simple. Mobile phones work by sending electromagnetic signals with frequencies between 800 and 1900 Mhz (for the US) or 900 - 1800 Mhz (for Europe). The interference device only needs to send a signal with the same frequency and this signal will interfere with any device that is transmitting the signal within that frequency range. And so the screen of the unfortunate mobile phone in that area will inform the user that there is no signal ('out of coverage'). Most users do not realize that they are being broken down but only annoyed that they are in an area where it is difficult to catch the signal.

Ordinary users have a little understanding that they can get protection for high-ranking officials. On the Internet, there are quite a number of affordable wave breaking devices, such as the SH066PL2A / B portable radio breaker, disguised as a regular mobile phone, allowing waves to break in 9 The meter is sold for about £ 170 ( http://www.globalgadgetuk.com/Personal.htm ). Just put this phony phone on the hotel dining table, the guests around you will not be able to understand why their phone has lost the wave. For those who want more impressive results, check out http://www.suresafe.com.tw/showroom1.html to find a device that can break waves within a 30-meter radius. State organizations often use high-capacity wave breakers to disconnect mobile communications during important meetings, isolate terrorists or kidnap outside. Companies can use them to prevent various kinds of industrial intelligence. Modern spies will probably buy mobile phones that are specially designed to answer incoming calls but seem to be off. In an important meeting, the spy girl will pretend to forget her cell phone on the table and go to the toilet. From the outside, she called the 'forget' phone in the meeting room to eavesdrop on what other people said during her absence. This fantasy story seems too far away but some people are sure it will not happen. The Netline Cellular Activity Analyzer ( http://www.netline.co.il/CAA.htm ) with the ability to detect cell phones hidden in the room has been advertised through the above story. The installation of devices that interfere with mobile phones has the same effect, ensuring confidentiality in the office of the company or at least in the meeting rooms where the talks are important.

There is a legal obstacle to the use of mobile phone interferers, at least in the US. The FCC prohibits any active behavior that interferes with cell phones and provides severe penalties for such behavior ( http://wireless.fcc.gov/services/cellular/operations/blockingjamming.html ). If you are found carrying a SH066PL2A / B in a US restaurant, you may be fined $ 11,000 and 1 year in prison. It is possible but very rarely happens because it seems that the FCC has never penalized anyone for this crime even though the United States is the market that consumes the most mobile devices. An unnamed distributor said they sold nearly 300 mobile phone interceptors to the US market for a year, higher than any other country in the world. The distributor said buyers include restaurants and schools (including some universities purchased to prevent students from contacting outside during school hours or exams) and individual users. .

According to the FCC, cell phone interference should be banned because businesses have bought the right to use that frequency range and blocking their signal is like stealing property. Some other countries have less strict regulations. For example, France ignores mobile interference in theaters and China, Russia and Israel allow it to be used or very lax in implementation.

Americans who want legal legal interference can use 'passive' interference technology. Such as covering the office with a layer of lead to ensure no signal can leak out. If using lead is too complicated, they can use walls with 'magnetic wood' instead. A Japanese scientist named Hideo Oka invented a new construction device containing magnetic saturated pieces of nickel-zinc alloy, which can prevent 97% of mobile phone signals. He hoped this material could have a large market. Because blocking cell phones in this way does not need to broadcast on leased frequencies, it seems legitimate even though the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA) is not. endorse any form of interference - either active or passive. However, there is little possibility of early prohibition of passive wave interference. The problem is that today mobile phones are not just for talking. With manufacturers increasingly adding more features to mobile phones, it is difficult to prohibit all forms of interference or obstruction of mobile phone use. Integrating cameras into mobile phones alone poses a lot of problems in combating industrial intelligence. Iceberg Systems is testing a new technology that will turn off cameras of remote mobile phones ( http://news.com.com/2100-1009-5074852.html ). Most recently, Tiny Force Field Wireless's DefendAir aluminum / copper paint has been shown to be able to reflect all signals in the 100 MHz - 5 GHz range to "confine" the signals of networks. cord. For security reasons, the company is attracting the attention of the Department of Homeland Security. Force Field even said that Middle Eastern countries are buying, but they will not sell to those customers.

While the legality of the technology is still controversial, the demand for mobile devices that can block mobile phones will likely increase rapidly in a short time as analysts have predicted that in the next 5 years There will be 1 billion mobile phones worldwide. We will most likely live in a society filled with tracking and anti-tracking devices, in which anyone can record anything and send the audio - captured images to the Internet for every ears - curious eyes, the emergence of portable radial tools (and other radio waves) will be very useful; who will use them and to what extent leave them open to lawmakers.

Do Thanh Xuan
Information Technology Center, Vietnam Industrial and Commercial Bank
(Summary from MSN, InformationWeek)