🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1hpsm7INNp2i@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu>, bz223@cleveland.Freenet.Edu
(Danny Guy Frezza) wrote:
> 
> 
> 	I would like to ask, specifically, if anyone has information 
> concerning encrypting/decrypting wireless phones?  Someone mentioned in a
> recent post that Motorola has such a thing, but, how about AT&T or other
> big giants? Do they have any wireless phones that are "secure" or are 
> there any plans for it, on a wide-scale basis? I must say, that about a

This subject has been discussed in alt.scanner, and follow-ups may be more
appropriate there.  If I recall correctly, Motorola's "security" consists
of an analog frequency-inversion scheme (i.e. low tones are converted to
high tones and vice-versa around some center frequency).  No encryption,
and no real security.  Some of the newer 900 MHz cordless phones
appearantly use a spread-spectrum transmission scheme to communicate a
digitized data stream between the handset and the base unit so they are
harder to listen in on without special-purpose hardware: look at a recent
issue of "Popular Communications" - they reviewed two of the new models.

As other posters have pointed out, monitoring cordless phone links is *NOT*
illegal in the US.  I believe monitoring cellular phone calls is not
against the law, either, except that you cannot disclose the contents of
anything you monitor or use it for your own gain.  Congress recently passed
a bill that prohibits the sale of scanners that can receive (or be "easily
modified to receive") the 800 MHz cellular band.  That doesn't make
listening illegal, however, and doesn't remove existing scanners from the
market.

The real lesson, I'm afraid, is: don't expect *ANY* privacy on cordless or
cellular phones.  You stand a good chance of being disappointed if you do.

-Pat Dirks.