Someone is Listening

Recent news has stated that the FBI now has a way to remotely activate a nearby cell phone as a way to listen in on the conversation. This was approved by the U.S. Department of Justice as a way to listen to organized crime family in the state of New York. This family was suspicious of wiretaps and other surveillance systems.
This was done as a way for authorities to monitor conversations of John Ardiot, considered to be the most powerful man in the Genovese family. A U.S. District judge felt it was legal since federal wiretapping laws can cover conversations that take place near a suspects cell phone. A spokesperson for Nextel said he was not aware this was happening and was not approached and asked to be part of it. This system works if the phone is on or not since many phones are not totally powered down unless the battery has been removed.
There are some phones that can be, if an alarm is set, turned on from a state of being powered-down. This type of technology is call ed the roving bug technique.