Reporter detained, interrogated at debate for 'volatile Wi-Fi signals'

[Newsjock]

Source: Long Island Press

... I was halfway through my story when a very official-looking IT guy, clipboard in hand, ambled up to me and said that some of the press pool journalists were experiencing difficulties with wireless Internet connections. He asked to see my computer to make sure it was OK. He tinkered a little and I thought nothing of it. After looking up my Mac address identifying a computer on a network, he said that everything was fine. Yup, all systems were a go. Thanks, Mr. IT guy.

I had just stuck my nose back in my laptop when a Secret Service agent shoved his badge in my face. He and his partner closed me in on both sides and told me to gather my things, including my laptop, and come with them.

... The questions went on: Where do I work? Who’s here with me today? What is the focus of my coverage? And just what the heck is the Long Island Press, anyway? After I told the 5-minute version of my life story, the agent doing the questioning explained why I was being asked to give them permission to search my computer.

... As Agent Mustache explained, there were some “volatile” Wi-Fi signals coming from my computer. I’m not remotely tech savvy, but as they explained, my laptop’s “digital fingerprint” had tracked them to me. They said they wanted to check my machine to see if there was something that I had installed to bring down the debates, or determine if my computer was simply the victim of hackers and an ineffective virus scanner. Say what?

... What political organizations do I belong to? Am I politically active? How do I feel about the candidates? Who am I voting for? My head was spinning.

Federal investigators asked me directly who I was voting for—how disturbing. I thought those little curtains at the polling places were there for a reason.

Read more: http://www.longislandpress.com/articles/coverstory/427/

[lumberjack_jeff]

1. "Volatile wi-fi signals" = subversive emails.

I hate, hate, hate authoritarianism.

[HillbillyBob]

11. I represent that remark, I have no problem with proper authority

When it becomes intrusive, I have a real problem with that.
I could tell you some hair raising stories from when I lived in nazibama.
Some computer wireless cards bleed over into several frequencies, which interferes
with other communications or so I have been told.

[justaregularperson]

21. "Proper authority" would be IT and isolating the laptop, not secret service grilling?

That seemed a bit much unless they had a real reason to believe that the author personally was involved in something. We are losing perspective. This was the University network. Students attach computers with virii to it all the time. I am sure they are up to protecting it. If it had a defective wifi card, it is not a lethal weapon. Pull it out or shut the thing off. But this did not deserve the "extra" attention it got.

[kansasblue]

2. I wonder if it's related to communication to the debaters.

http://www.visualfuturist.com/bushiswired/

Some theories that Bush was wired for the debates.

Which debate was the story referring to? VP or Pres?

[leveymg]

10. That was my first thought, too. Or, it was interfering with Sec Svc communications

Why would they ask this guy about his politics? That's just weird.

[Eric J in MN]

3. Never heard of anything like this before.

Now the authorities can detain anyone with a notebook computer by accusing him of sending volatile Wi-Fi signals.

[originalpckelly]

4. Absolutely fucking insane!

:grr:

[Canuckistanian]

5. Well that's a new one

But I imagine we'll be seeing lots of "new ones" in the future.

[LiberalFighter]

6. Secret Service are some of the most stupidest people employed!!!

[TygrBright]

8. uh, no. They're not.

And you'd bloody well better hope I'm right about that.

They're charged with the mission of keeping Barack Obama alive.

They take it seriously.

I'm confident I am right.

I'm pretty sure that the people providing security to Obama right now have been screened for the best training, the best understanding and commitment to the mission, and the best physical condition and reactions in the entire Secret Service. And I'm damn' sure that most of them, possibly ALL of them, would rather take a fatal bullet themselves than fail in that mission.

Yes, there are yoinks and yobs in the Secret Service. There are yoinks and yobs in any outfit that involves playing with guns and/or having authority.

But the percentage of yoinks and yobs, the percentage of outright stupid dumfucks, in the Secret Service is fairly low, compared to the Fibbies and a few other outfits.

Hyperbole can be fun, but thoughtless hyperbole is getting far too common to be amusing on DU these days.

impatiently,
Bright

[Shanti Mama]

13. Bravo!

Thanks, Bright. We may not love them but they deserve our respect.

[lonestarnot]

18. They fucking better be!

:grr: They did the number on Kennedy. Waved off his car (dude on back).

[LiberalFighter]

19. Then explain their action against the reporter!!

[dgibby]

7. Who was the original IT guy and why would anybody let a stranger tinker with his computer?

I'm confused. Was this some sort of set up? Did the It guy install some sort of malware? I know I'm not very computer literate, but this doesn't make any sense to me.:shrug:

[MindPilot]

15. Most likely the IT guy would just confirm the IP and MAC addresses

on that computer and then report back to the Secret Service.

[snot]

9. worrisome. i'm running it by my i.s. friend.

[MindPilot]

12. In the IT world "volatile" usually refers to something easily changed

or very short-lived like the information stored in RAM at any given time.

I've been in IT for the better part of 20 years and this is the first time I've heard the term applied to a wi-fi signal.

Most likely the guy's computer was broadcasting some suspicious network traffic from a trojan or other malware that found it's way onto his system. If that's the case the source of the traffic can be isolated to an IP address and/or MAC address and the offending computer isolated from the network. Other than the overly officious nomenclature, there is nothing out of the ordinary here-- I do this kind of stuff every day.

At an event like a presidential debate, it would be very prudent to keep a very close watch on what's happening in the electromagnetic spectrum and if something is suspicious, check it out, which given the venue might involve some questions that would be inappropriate anywhere else.

No tinfoil hat necessary here, it looks like everyone did things right.

[ThomWV]

14. There is nothing at all that "tinkering' could have done to produce RF signals

I do not know what you are saying happened here but the story is just full of holes. No one would have needed to ask you a single question about yourself if your 'digital fingerprint' had tracked anything at all to you. Second, the only way to block radio frequency (RF) signals is to overpower them with another one on the same or nearly the same frequency and that requires a transmitter - "tinkering" is hardly what would be required to install a transmitter.

When asked by an authority who you intend to vote for the proper answer is "I want to speak to your supervisor and my Congressman"

[no limit]

16. Umm...if your lap top is a security threat then they had a right to do what they did

the person had a virus on their lap top that threatened to spread itself to all computers connected to the network.

[justaregularperson]

20. Excuse me... I challenge that thought. How is this a "security threat"

This is part of that "slippery slope" thinking.

How exactly does someone potentially having a virus on their computer in this setting warrant the treatment it got here?

This was most certainly the Universities network, not the President's personal network (which fights virii all the time I am sure). What exactly was at risk? Reporting of a Debate? Certainly there is MONEY at risk, and certainly someone has the right to make sure that things go off well and everyone is able to get their work done. Debates are very important. But exactly how does this become a national security issue where someone that they have no reason to believe has any bad background, that should be treated like a potential terrorist?

We are moving into very shakey ground here. Every excuse is being used to shake people down in ways we did not before.

This should have beeb a standard IT matter, his laptop should have been removed from the network. I suppose they could be stubborn and kick him out. But come on?

[justaregularperson]

22. Kick

For more thought, less fear?

[mike_c]

17. self delete....

Dumb, actually. :red-face: