FBI blocked from searching pimp's phone by Android pattern lock
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Because of a waiver that the pimp signed as part of the terms of his parole, Dears had given up his fourth amendment rights which would have allowed the long arm of the law to search the phone as soon as it was discovered. But because the phone was locked (which was a violation of his parole) a warrant was required. The warrant was obtained by the good guys and the phone was shipped off to the famous FBI lab where a small pubic hair can be used to determine the identity of bank robbers and determine what they ate for breakfast that morning (okay, that might be a slight exaggeration). The world famous FBI lab ran into a snag. They could not figure out the pattern needed to unlock the phone. Twenty combinations were tried and twenty times the FBI was shot down (pun not intended) until the infamous password prompt showed up on the screen.
Next stop was getting a subpoena to Google to get access to Dears’ Google account. The information that the FBI was looking for included the subscriber’s name, address, Social Security number, account login and password; email and personal contact lists on Dears' cell phone; times and duration for every website visited; text messages sent and received from the phone including video and picture messages; all email and IM accounts on the handset; verbal and written instructions for overriding the pattern lock on the phone; All search terms, Internet history, and GPS data that stored for the handset by Google.
If you're trying to keep prying eyes out of your Android handset, it seems that setting up a pattern lock might be the way to do it. If the FBI, with all of its crime solving abilities, can't figure out a simple pattern, we would imagine that the information stored in your phone would be safe from your spouse, kids, IRS, nosy friends, and the FBI.
source: ArsTechnica via Phandroid
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The Android pattern unlocked screen (L) allegedly used by Dante Dears (R) | |
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26 Comments
1. Pings posted on 14 Mar 2012, 18:07 31 2
Only his pimp hand can unlock it, biotch! If he was using an iPhone they would have it unlocked in less than a mintues pwn2own style...
7. MobileCaseReview posted on 14 Mar 2012, 18:54 4 0
Pings, I was dying reading that. "Where my powder at?!?!"
9. cepcamba posted on 14 Mar 2012, 19:08 6 0
Seriously? I can't believe the FBI can be so stuuuuupid. Just go to a droid hacker and he'll make your droid do anything you want.
8. messiah posted on 14 Mar 2012, 18:59 1 0
Should have really surprised them and used the finger print scanner lock... would have freaked them out for sure....
3. hobble posted on 14 Mar 2012, 18:18 10 0
Can they subpeona your face if you use face unlock?
4. theBankRobber posted on 14 Mar 2012, 18:19 8 1
Wow this is another reason why I love and faithfully use a Android phone. Google should just be like, my bad, we have no records of this person haha.
5. threeline posted on 14 Mar 2012, 18:32 7 0
Sorry F.B.Izzel, "We don't keep personal information. Hate da game, not the playa!"
10. marvellztune posted on 14 Mar 2012, 19:17 6 0
One of the reasons why i will by Android phone!!! Patern-unlock vs FBI = 1:0
35. CM_Punk (banned) posted on 14 Mar 2012, 20:32 1 1
nope. all it requires is a little mal and a pinch of ware.
#bestintheworld
103. atheisticemetic posted on 15 Mar 2012, 08:44 2 1
so theres malware on his phone that would exploit the unlock that even the FBI couldnt figure out....
your logic is priceless
11. Sniggly posted on 14 Mar 2012, 19:19 8 0
Though i have no love for pimps, this is hilarious. :D
104. atheisticemetic posted on 15 Mar 2012, 09:35 3 0
i committed a bit of lolling today on this
18. InspectorGadget80 posted on 14 Mar 2012, 19:58 3 0
this this s**t is hilarious they can't break em and with all the technology they have in their office they can't BREAK A ANDROID LOCK CODE how sad
85. jroc74 posted on 14 Mar 2012, 23:29 0 0
To be fair the FBI is underneath the CIA and NSA for this kind of stuff. Especially the NSA.
24. dodo1234 posted on 14 Mar 2012, 20:15 1 0
I think its no coincidence that "Idiot" starts with an "I," Apple invented their tech for them n uses the "I" so they can easily recognize it as for "Idiots" LOL :p
91. psycc posted on 14 Mar 2012, 23:54 4 0
Have you even WATCHED Law and Order!? I can't believe the audacity of this article to plant the idea that the FBI couldn't hack into a small time pimp's droid if they wanted to.
It's called going through the proper channels to make sure no evidence obtained can be thrown out in a court case....
99. psycc posted on 15 Mar 2012, 00:44 0 0
Makes me want to stop reading this website, ridiculous article to even post.
100. kemjus posted on 15 Mar 2012, 00:55 0 0
Phone Arena has posted more bad articles than usual lately... I used to read most articles on the page, now it's about 1 in 5 articles. Although they still are top on my list for news... I check their site probably 5 times a day at least!
105. atheisticemetic posted on 15 Mar 2012, 09:36 1 0
do do do do do dooooo...bling (figured some theme music to law and order was appropriate to your comment)
good call btw
106. u-suck-more posted on 15 Mar 2012, 10:12 0 0
i read this article when i woke up, and now its reaching midnight in my country, and im still trippin
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