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Do these work with European bands? Is it worth shipping to Europe?
It probably doesn't matter which specific band.
I did not understand any of that...
This is the easiest explanation I could come up with:
Your phone (or other cellular devices) constantly broadcasts a few identifiers. The IMEI, which is tied directly to the cellular hardware in your device, and the IMSI, which is tied to your SIM card. Law enforcement uses so called cell-site simulators, which basically pretend to be cellular antennas, while actually just grabbing IMEIs and IMSIs from every device in the area. This is often used during protests, in order to identify those who attend them.
Rayhunter is a piece of software that detects the presence of cell-site simulators, making attendants of protests aware of the hidden danger.
This is especially important, now that the US basically transformed into an authoritarian state. We've already seen how Trump strategically uses law enforcement to crack down on protests, such as the BLM movement in 2020. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_a63r5Km9I) Being aware of law enforcement/intelligence operations that try to identify and track down protest attendants is more important than ever.
Short version is it's a man-in-the-middle detector to see if you're being spied on, using a cheap off the shelf cellular device.
Is it necessary to get a cell plan to run the hotspot? If its just a matter of buying the $20 and loading EFF's software, I'm definitely onboard!
Is it necessary to get a cell plan to run the hotspot?
As far as I'm aware: no. Cell-site simulators could theoretically only target devices that connect with a valid IMSI, but I kinda doubt that they are doing that. But you could get a cheap prepaid SIM, instead of an actual cell plan.
As far as I'm aware: no.
How does data get back to EFF?
I couldn't find anything on that yet. I think that since the project is still in a rather early stage of development, it's more of a proof of concept. But I do know that the PCAPs are saved on the device, and you can download them onto another computer.
I went ahead and ordered one so I guess I'll find out!
I know for phones even an inactive sim works to talk to the towers enough for 911 to work. Might be the same.
Doing my part!
Whoever designs their logos definitely needs a raise IMO.
I'd buy all the stickers if it didn't cost twice their value just to ship them to me.
this post was submitted on 04 Mar 2025
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