Silk Road forums

Discussion => Legal => Topic started by: 8447948 on August 29, 2013, 03:32 am

Title: Erasing mobile phone
Post by: 8447948 on August 29, 2013, 03:32 am
With mobile phones containing so much personal information nowadays, and police having the right to search your mobile phone under if your arrested (not sure about every jurisdiction), what possible outcomes would arise from wiping your phone (using Android Device Manager or whatever app you want) if the police are wanting to search your phone.

Obviously if they could retrieve any incriminating evidence afterwards, then deleting the information on your phone would be negative for you in court, but if the information was permanently deleted, you could plead that it was already planned to delete the information when your phone next booted up?

After watching a video on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVCROjpgCB0) about the police and searching phones, I think im going to encrypt my Nexus 4, has anyone used the stock encryption on an Android device?
Title: Re: Erasing mobile phone
Post by: Vanquish on August 29, 2013, 05:11 am
Nice post, unfortunately this is beyond my realm of knowledge.
Karma coming your way though, as this is an excellent and important topic for many I'm sure.

Vanquish
Title: Re: Erasing mobile phone
Post by: wrathmore on August 29, 2013, 08:48 am
Good topic, the problem is with phones isnt always the phone itself its your network provider. If your in for a more serious charge then they can demand your network to release information they hold such as call data and text messages. So even if you wipe it all its still there.

I find the best way to do it if you have to use a mobile is to have a throw away one used for making calls, non registered on Pay as you go. Flush it down the toilet or throw it out if the need arises and dont take it with you when you know that you could be intercepted just use a payphone!

Or ultimately dont use phones for business, they are a huge reason why people get prosecuted and are great evidence for the pigs.
Title: Re: Erasing mobile phone
Post by: Magic Man on August 29, 2013, 09:11 pm
Interesting read for sure. I have most of my customers email me. Because at night I can clear most of the emails from both phone and the computer much easier then the texts since the provider has access to all incoming and outgoing. For all I know that could be the same with the emails too tho.

Good thing here in Canada is if they check your phone without having a Wire Tapping Warrant then anything gathered will not be admissible in court because of this new law they just passed.
Title: Re: Erasing mobile phone
Post by: 8447948 on August 30, 2013, 02:48 am
Yes wrathmore, a lot of the data that police would be interested in, i guess, would be call records and messages, although with so many apps, a lot of communication can be done outside of the network providers control posilby?

Fair enough when it comes down to it, the network provider would have all data for incoming and outgoing internet traffic, but I wonder to what extent they can use this data -- for example, if I update a FB status or send a message on FB, would the network provider have the legal responsibility to give up the message contents, if they can even view the contents at all?

Then there are data on phones that network providers have no control over such as images...
Title: Re: Erasing mobile phone
Post by: wrathmore on August 30, 2013, 08:45 am
The thing is that when you sign upto things like gmail/hotmail/whatsapp/facefuck and even secure email the terms state that they do not share your data UNLESS they are legally obliged to..meaning police and authorities can take the legal route and access all of your data, its really not difficult or complicated process for them either!
Title: Re: Erasing mobile phone
Post by: 8447948 on September 01, 2013, 12:40 pm
That is very correct wrath, I guess this closes the topic! :)