Velveeta: "beware Operation Sudden Fall" [Telecom]

***** Moderator's Note *****

Usenet is getting a flood of Velveeta this morning, all of it touting some scheme to "Encrypt" SMS messages, and supposedly protect them from interception by the police. The first two URL's in the Velveeta point to news reports about widespread drug dealing and arrests on a college campus.

Although I won't spread the landing zone URL's, the Velveeta is being done by a pro, which makes me wonder if this is an escalation in the spam arms race: Velveeta is as old as Usenet, but whomever sent these knows enough to be in the same league with Hipcrime, so I'm afraid that some new guild/group is gearing up for widespread Usenet abuse.

In any case, paradoxically, the subject _is_ related to telecom, and I'm curious if the readers can answer these questions for me:

1. Does anyone know who is sending these? Is (s)he for real or just a hired gun? (1)
2. Is it possible to add AES encryption to SMS on the "average" cell phone?
3. Should SMS be considered a private paper deserving of constitutional protection against unreasonable search?
4. Should the U.S. government be prohibited from monitoring cell channels without a search warrant?

Bill Horne Temporary Moderator snipped-for-privacy@horneQRM.net

(1) Write me offline if you need the actual URL's being touted.

P.S. I don't care if it's not called "Velveeta" anymore.

(Filter QRM from my address for direct replies. Please put [Telecom] at the end of your subject line, or I may never see your post! Thanks!)

- - - - - - - - Law enforcement is now intercepting text messages, as proven by Operation Sudden Fall in San Diego.

Don't let your personal SMS/text messages fall into the wrong hands. Encrypt your messages with one of these:

Be Safe, Be Encrypted, #$% the Police!!

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Posted 5 years ago by editor in General Telecommunications Forum

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