[FedCom] Gov't 'intercept' policies ---

[ken windyka]

Well Frank you sure like to fan the fires of paranoia don't you?  ;)

In the past hobbyists have gotten into problems with federal law enforcment
for the following type of activities:

*Posting detailed channel plans:  designations/usage/frequencies; obtained
from official sources  -- in one specific recent incident the information
came verbatim off what was probably an operations plan communications annex
(it's unknown whether the annex was classified OR had an Official Use Only
designation) BUT the feds wanted to know from the hobbyists where he got
the information (the hobbyist did not know it was classified/OFUO
information).. I'd bet that the hobbyist gave up the "source".    I've
found even at recent military open houses/air shows that folks don't want
to give out much specific information. 

*Following a surveillance operation -- Hobbyists decided to follow in their
vehicle the surveillance vehicle that was tailing another vehicle.  Unknown
to the hobbyists, there was another counter suveillance team providing
protection to the surveillance team, who after the "take down" took place
stopped the hobbyists.

*Letting the neighborhood know about surveillance activities --- One
hobbyist actually knock on the door of an a suspect under suveillance &
informed him about the surveillance.

*Posting DETAILED current information about surveillance in a specific
location --  This is probably going to at least place the hobbyist on a
"watch list" and might even trigger a background information investigation
-- If you do decide to post this information PLEASE be sure you also post
your public library card account number to make it easier for the
investigators!!! ;)

It's unclear/unknown what technical expertise the terrorist "sleeper cells"
in the United States have achieved.  A good guess would be that at least
the major support elements would have sigificant technical expertise to
include counter surveillance techniques.   Remember that encryption
transmission on a specific federal radio frequency(ies) (and/or other
local/state goverment frequencies) can very well be the "Red Flag" to
someone who is planning/engaged in illegal activities (read "Family Of
Traitors" (John Walker navy comm officer who gave detailed info to
Russians)).  When you couple this with readily available equipment such as
frequency counters/sniffers, scanner reaction tuning, etc. it basically
make the encryption surveillance method highly likely to be discovered.  So
unless previous intelligence shows the suspects as being technically
challenged, a good guess would be the feds are using digital cellular/pcs
more on these types of activties with perhaps frs/gmrs/amateur OR some
specific low power business frequencies for portable w/t's comms close
range car to car, which can also result in discovery BUT may be buried in
with other comms & make it more difficult for those under surveillance.

BTW, anyone who posts information on this list as well as others can
request from the list moderator/owner that the information be removed from
the archieve.  I know that on the list that I own (non qth.net list) I will
remove a post upon the request of the posting party.

Ken
Springfield MA Monitoring Area              

At 02:06 PM 7/20/02 -0400, A10382 wrote:
>Hi Radio Fans,
>snip.....snip......
>"Just because you're paranoid, it doesn't mean that no one is watching".
>
>In these times of 'heightened security', even the government is paranoid.
>Please be careful with your posts and not appear to foster or support any
>potentially illegal activity -- it may come back to haunt you.  As many of
>the recent Senate hearing 'guests' have discovered, what you put into an
>email will be around for a long, long, time.