FBI has remote recording access to cell phones

Dec 07 2006 - 04:18 PM ET | In The News

According to data released out of a mob trial, the FBI may have the ability to record conversations remotely from a mobile phone when it's not even making calls. Dubbed a roving bug, the phone can be remotely hacked to turn its microphone on and send audio data directly to the FBI. No model numbers or carriers were mentioned. Even more amazing is that the phone doesn't even have to be switched on.

According to the recent court ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan, "The device functioned whether the phone was powered on or off, intercepting conversations within its range wherever it happened to be."