Tiny Phones That Go Inside a Butt (2016)(vice.com)
vice.com
Tiny Phones That Go Inside a Butt (2016)
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/zngpz4/prison-phones-that-go-up-your-bum
140 comments
Somewhat unusually, the headline is neither misleading nor clickbait - you indeed get what you click for.
Well observed. ;) Before opening the conversation here, my mind and my lips had a "But why?" perfectly synchronized. I must say the explanation, as unpleasant as it was, perfectly fit the link!
It's pretty typical of Vice, I'd say. They don't need to make their titles clickbait-y since they purposefully write about shocking/taboo things.
It’s more like the “I don’t know what else I was expecting” meme from Arrested Development.
Fisting is not such a weird thing in the Berlin gay culture, but seeing it mentioned in a HN link is definitely kind of weird.
I've seen it mentioned in Cards Against Humanity and a widely circulated Darwin Award story (possibly urban legend). At least knowing what it is seems to be relatively mainstream at this point.
Yeah. Not my cup of tea though. And usually people do drugs like meth to make it easier.
The article is about sneaking phones (and chargers) into prisons
How practical would it be to erect a Faraday cage around a prison? How practical would it be to jam the signals? I bet one could interdict a lot of criminal activity by stopping or eavesdropping on prison cell phone conversations.
How practical would it be to erect a Faraday cage around a prison? How practical would it be to jam the signals? I bet one could interdict a lot of criminal activity by stopping or eavesdropping on prison cell phone conversations.
Stingray?
Are you suggesting a legal and lawful use for the Stingray that the mass population would agree to? Ha, get out, that's not what the Stingray is for! :)
I wonder if prison libraries have electronics books.. imagine if they had access to esp microcontrollers.
> On August 7, 2015, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) notified the Office of the Ohio Inspector General that on July 27, 2015, Marion Correctional Institution (MCI) staff had discovered two unauthorized personal computers hidden on a plywood board in the ceiling above a closet in a training room. The two computers were connected to ODRC’s computer network and were not owned by the State of Ohio.
-- "Report of Investigation" [0] (PDF), Office of the Inspector General, State of Ohio
They used them for, well, pretty much exactly what you might guess they would use them for [1]:
> The inmates used the computers for credit card fraud, reading material on how to make drugs and weapons, download porn and music, etc.
Articles:
- "Prison Inmates Built And Hid DIYs Computers In Ceiling, Hacked The Prison Network" [1]
- "Two Ohio inmates hacked their prison from the inside using makeshift computers built from spare parts" [2]
[0]: http://watchdog.ohio.gov/Portals/0/pdf/investigations/2015-C...
[1]: https://fossbytes.com/prison-inmates-diy-computer-hidden-cei...
[2]: https://qz.com/958503/two-ohio-inmates-hacked-their-prison-f...
-- "Report of Investigation" [0] (PDF), Office of the Inspector General, State of Ohio
They used them for, well, pretty much exactly what you might guess they would use them for [1]:
> The inmates used the computers for credit card fraud, reading material on how to make drugs and weapons, download porn and music, etc.
Articles:
- "Prison Inmates Built And Hid DIYs Computers In Ceiling, Hacked The Prison Network" [1]
- "Two Ohio inmates hacked their prison from the inside using makeshift computers built from spare parts" [2]
[0]: http://watchdog.ohio.gov/Portals/0/pdf/investigations/2015-C...
[1]: https://fossbytes.com/prison-inmates-diy-computer-hidden-cei...
[2]: https://qz.com/958503/two-ohio-inmates-hacked-their-prison-f...
Didn't find pics of their computers but damn that was an epic hustle.
Somehow I read it as "CAMERAS" so I thought it was about endoscopes or something. Still, happy with how my reading experience turned out.
Even after reading your warning, I still decided to check it out. Took one look at that cover photo and realized it was time to go.
Thanks for the tl;dr! Saw the click-baity title and didn't expect any good content but this sounds interesting.
gadders(1)
I have the "cloud to butt" extension[1] installed, which led me to initially assume the article was about running phones as part of a cloud service, either for compute or testing. It was therefore quite a surprise for me when I actually clicked through to the article...
[1] https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/cloud-to-butt-plus...
[1] https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/cloud-to-butt-plus...
Oh thank goodness it wasn't just me.
It astonishes me that in prison, where your jailers have:
• complete control over where you live,
• complete control of your movements,
• complete control over your physical interaction with people who are not prison staff or other inmates,
• in the US almost no fourth amendment restrictions on searching your living space or possessions and so can pretty much arbitrarily conduct extensive searches for prohibited items,
that it is actually possible for a significant number of prisoners to keep their smuggled items hidden once they get them in (and that they get them in in the first place is astonishing).
It gives one something to think about the next time one is taking a plane trip or attending an event with a security checkpoint. If prisons cannot keep banned items out or from being used, how can airport security or event security do so when their powers are much more limited than the powers of prison authorities?
NOTE: the prior paragraph is not meant to suggest that we should boost the powers of airport and event security. It was meant to suggest that the situation in prisons provides good evidence that much of our non-prison security is indeed just security theater.
• complete control over where you live,
• complete control of your movements,
• complete control over your physical interaction with people who are not prison staff or other inmates,
• in the US almost no fourth amendment restrictions on searching your living space or possessions and so can pretty much arbitrarily conduct extensive searches for prohibited items,
that it is actually possible for a significant number of prisoners to keep their smuggled items hidden once they get them in (and that they get them in in the first place is astonishing).
It gives one something to think about the next time one is taking a plane trip or attending an event with a security checkpoint. If prisons cannot keep banned items out or from being used, how can airport security or event security do so when their powers are much more limited than the powers of prison authorities?
NOTE: the prior paragraph is not meant to suggest that we should boost the powers of airport and event security. It was meant to suggest that the situation in prisons provides good evidence that much of our non-prison security is indeed just security theater.
> It gives one something to think about the next time one is taking a plane trip or attending an event with a security checkpoint. If prisons cannot keep banned items out or from being used, how can airport security or event security do so when their powers are much more limited than the powers of prison authorities?
I mean, it's been amply documented that they can't. I wish we'd drop the security theater; there is no way it's a good tradeoff.
I mean, it's been amply documented that they can't. I wish we'd drop the security theater; there is no way it's a good tradeoff.
Most contraband is not hooped (stored in the butt). It comes from crooked sheriffs and police officers whose union prevents their being searched properly before entering and exiting work.
I worked as a state security guard in college.
90% plus of the shenanigans were carried off by security personnel, Insiders, and local cops.
I basically watched a hugh building in San Francisco on the weekends.
I only spoke up when they tried to blame it on public, or the homeless. Blaming the homeless was a go to. I remember they tried to blame the homeless for stealing 10 tons of electrical switching gear. Gear so heavy, it needed special fork lift to move. By speaking up--meaning I just refused to go along with them blaming innocent people for their thefts, but I knew my place.
Whenever their was a theft, or break-in; I just knew it was an inside job. The denial was huge. I personally didn't care, I just didn't want to get shot.
My boss was the most honest man I have ever known though. I think he knew how corrupt the "good guys" were, but knew not to rock the boat. He had a good heart too. They would reprimand him for feeding the cats, but he really loved all animals. Very few men left a good impression on me, but I still think about him.
90% plus of the shenanigans were carried off by security personnel, Insiders, and local cops.
I basically watched a hugh building in San Francisco on the weekends.
I only spoke up when they tried to blame it on public, or the homeless. Blaming the homeless was a go to. I remember they tried to blame the homeless for stealing 10 tons of electrical switching gear. Gear so heavy, it needed special fork lift to move. By speaking up--meaning I just refused to go along with them blaming innocent people for their thefts, but I knew my place.
Whenever their was a theft, or break-in; I just knew it was an inside job. The denial was huge. I personally didn't care, I just didn't want to get shot.
My boss was the most honest man I have ever known though. I think he knew how corrupt the "good guys" were, but knew not to rock the boat. He had a good heart too. They would reprimand him for feeding the cats, but he really loved all animals. Very few men left a good impression on me, but I still think about him.
> that it is actually possible for a significant number of prisoners to keep their smuggled items hidden once they get them in
Read 'Papillon' by Henri Charrière. The autobiography of a long-term prison inmate. Well written. It's amazing what people do to maintain some small freedoms in a coercive environment.
Read 'Papillon' by Henri Charrière. The autobiography of a long-term prison inmate. Well written. It's amazing what people do to maintain some small freedoms in a coercive environment.
Honestly I'm not sure why prisons wouldn't be a little pleased that inmates are sneaking in cellphones. The prison could run a stingray on site and collect, at a minimum, the metadata about calls and I would imagine full recordings of calls.
What you're missing is that the guards are complicit. Some identify more with their inmates than with the outside world.
Is it impossible for the TSA to be complicit?
I'm curious what bribery prevention mechanisms exist, for example.
I'm curious what bribery prevention mechanisms exist, for example.
I don't think it is even that...look at how much your average corrections officer or law enforcement officer is paid...and then ask yourself why so many of them can be corrupted by a little bit of money.
Or coerced by blackmailing their family. Many prisoners belong to gangs which have members and influence outside the prison walls.
You can never underestimate the creativity of people who have virtually unlimited time on their hands.
For all but the most violent of offenders, it's not worthwhile to spend the kind of money one would need to regulate their every activity.
For all but the most violent of offenders, it's not worthwhile to spend the kind of money one would need to regulate their every activity.
It’s not that amazing, for one they only have the illusion of complete control, and for another many of them are wildly corrupt. How do you think many of those drugs and bits of contraband get to the prison in the first place?
I ordered a jelly which I believe currently holds the title of the worlds smallest smartphone, it arrived today and damn that thing is tiny! I don’t have any intention of putting it in my bum but if that was your aim - it’d certainly get you tweeting from jail in no time.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jellyphone/jelly-the-sm...
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jellyphone/jelly-the-sm...
before i realized jelly was the name of the phone, i had this visual in my head that there was a tiny phone embedded inside a gel, which obviously would make it super smooth to slide inside your prison wallet.
If the goal was to create a phone you could sneak in your bum into prison surely a better name for it would be "Smelly".
This reeks of Alibaba drop-shipping, I'd be very surprised if this didn't already exist on Alibaba for a third of the price.
Apologies for side-tracking the OP discussion, but how's the performance on this thing? Have been looking for a tiny phone for a while.
I just bought an iPhone SE. It's not as small as the Jelly, but way more usable.
It runs latest ios 11 pretty well, has a decent camera, and > 1 day battery life for my usage.
I am figuring it will last at least 2 years, considering it has the same internals as an iPhone 6S.
If you're looking for a small phone, the SE nails it IMO.
It's also 4-6x the price of the Jelly/Jelly Pro. I don't think that's worth it.
The Jelly is $100, the iPhone SE is $350.
You can also pretty easily resell the iPhone after two years to recapture at least a third of the MSRP.
You can also pretty easily resell the iPhone after two years to recapture at least a third of the MSRP.
One can't imagine any "used" market for this other sort of phone...
Whoops, you're right on the price. I was looking at the pre-order price. The used iPhone market is really that strong?
Much stronger than any other brand: https://swappa.com/sell/iphones
It sure is. There are plenty of people who want an iPhone but can't afford and/or simply don't need/want the latest, greatest version (being able to run 11.0.1 isn't really a big concern for most of them). A good friend of mine just upgraded to an iPhone 4 a few months ago.
Pretty much all Apple products have excellent resale value (around here, anyways).
Pretty much all Apple products have excellent resale value (around here, anyways).
It’s weird that the SE is now considered a small phone, because it’s the size of the 5s which used to be the big screen flagship.
I went with the SE myself because it’s the only normal sized phone that’s actually good. It seems these days all you can buy in the high end range are phablets.
I went with the SE myself because it’s the only normal sized phone that’s actually good. It seems these days all you can buy in the high end range are phablets.
Just got mine Friday and I'm still waiting for a SIM from my carrier.
It's a bit frustrating because the plastic wrapped battery is packed in the phone and the instructions don't tell you that. (I've gotten emails where they talk about mailing battery issues so I wondered if it even came with one or that would arrive separately.)
Getting the back cover off is kind of hard. I didn't want to break it in the first 5 minutes. There's an unhelpful unboxing video on youtube because it didn't include set up but I finally found one where they pried it off with a guitar pick.
There's also a youtube video of someone playing video games on it. Like, why? Gaming on a 5" screen is painful enough, for me anyway.
No plans to carry it anywhere except my pocket.
It's a bit frustrating because the plastic wrapped battery is packed in the phone and the instructions don't tell you that. (I've gotten emails where they talk about mailing battery issues so I wondered if it even came with one or that would arrive separately.)
Getting the back cover off is kind of hard. I didn't want to break it in the first 5 minutes. There's an unhelpful unboxing video on youtube because it didn't include set up but I finally found one where they pried it off with a guitar pick.
There's also a youtube video of someone playing video games on it. Like, why? Gaming on a 5" screen is painful enough, for me anyway.
No plans to carry it anywhere except my pocket.
If you’re looking for a small phone I’d recommend the iPhone SE over it any day of the week. As for something different and stupidly small it’s a neat little thing and it seems to perform pretty well although I’d recommend installing a custom rom and disabling animations etc... if you want it to be speedy, at the end of the day I don’t find Android’s UI/UX overly well thought out and iOS is certainly easier to use on a small screen.
That phone is 4-6x the price, is it really worth that much more?
Easily - unless you main priority is only the price and you’re not bothered by / interested in ’smart’ functionality or apps, the camera, build quality and OS are excellent, also it’s worth noting that the iPhone’s security and privacy design is generally significantly better not to mention your phone will not only still work after several years - it’ll still get fast, regular security updates.
I personally find the 4" iPhone form-factor to pretty much be the pinnacle of phone design. Just the perfect size for me.
If you want performance, Sony's Xperia XZ1 Compact is a 4.7" phone with flagship specs. They're about the only ones who make high spec reasonable size phones these days.
> 16 GB ROM
Why do they make such an effort to advertise memory that is useless to the end-user?
Why do they make such an effort to advertise memory that is useless to the end-user?
They mean Flash, nobody is going to make 16GB of mask programmed ROM.
Yeah that was tongue in cheek, I'd assume they're talking about flash storage too. But still to check, I looked at two different reviews of the thing and they also said 8/16 GB ROM. I assume that says more about the knowledge or effort of the reviewers though.
Fascinating little phone. Have any of them shipped to backers?
Working in digital forensics I've seen a few of these. (rubber gloves and a facemask, or get someone else to do it)
Most popular were Motorola Pebbles and BMW Key fob phones, both small with smooth edges.
One Pebble frightened me, whilst it was small and smooth and, um, fit for purpose, it had been really badly soldered to give a point to attach the charger cables leaving some sharp prongs at one end.
Most popular were Motorola Pebbles and BMW Key fob phones, both small with smooth edges.
One Pebble frightened me, whilst it was small and smooth and, um, fit for purpose, it had been really badly soldered to give a point to attach the charger cables leaving some sharp prongs at one end.
For those wondering why phones are banned in the first place - It's bad for business. Data shows that regular communication with family is one of the best ways to lower recidivism.
https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2014/apr/15/lowering-re...
https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2014/apr/15/lowering-re...
Public prisons also get profit share when they contract with private companies to support the phones, which charge as much as $14/minute to prisoners or their family.
It's a bad idea to give people who have nothing to lose the means to commit crimes. Virtual kidnappings[1] are a thing.
It would also be a bit pointless tof physically isolate someone if they can continue business as usual virtually uninterrupted.
[1] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fbi-warns-of-telephone-extortio...
It would also be a bit pointless tof physically isolate someone if they can continue business as usual virtually uninterrupted.
[1] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fbi-warns-of-telephone-extortio...
Well, no, it's because jail/prison is supposed to be punishment, even though we occasionally pretend it's for rehabilitation. There are many studies like the one you link that show ways in which we could improve our prison system to reduce recidivism, violence, etc., but the people who run it aren't sympathetic to the inmates, and voters don't vote for politicians that run on helping those in prison.
I'm sure the fact that so many of our prisons are private, for-profit entities has nothing to do with it.
The purpose of prisons isn't well agreed upon. It could be for keeping the population safe from people that would do them harm. It could be to punish those who do harm because those who do bad things deserve to be punish. It could be make everyone believe they will be punished if they do something wrong and therefore deter bad behavior. It could be to control someone enough to rehabilitate them.
There's probably others. Not everyone agrees on which one the US judicial system obeys.
There's probably others. Not everyone agrees on which one the US judicial system obeys.
Reminds me somewhat of a time my friend worked for UK Maxim magazine around about the time they were a bit risque.
They got an "important" call from the US office who had to come over for a "very important" meeting that all writers had to present for.
The content of the meeting was largely a dressing down from the US office. They had read UK Maxim recently and decided that there were too many anal related jokes and that the UK version of the magazine had to severely cut down on them upon pain of firing. As such the review for the ipod shuffle that was due for press had to be modified to "can fit between your cheeks".
I just find it hilarious that a couple of American executives had to make a transatlantic flight specifically for this purpose. :D
The content of the meeting was largely a dressing down from the US office. They had read UK Maxim recently and decided that there were too many anal related jokes and that the UK version of the magazine had to severely cut down on them upon pain of firing. As such the review for the ipod shuffle that was due for press had to be modified to "can fit between your cheeks".
I just find it hilarious that a couple of American executives had to make a transatlantic flight specifically for this purpose. :D
Could we just use EMP's near inmate rears to solve the problem without having to "dig deeper"?
Or maybe just allow them affordable monitored phone and internet access?
If they wouldn’t have to pay so much in the US for a phone call, this would be far less necessary.
> "Colorado has the highest prison phone rate for local calls, at $2.75 + $.23/minute ($6.20 for a 15-minute local collect call). The highest intrastate phone rate is charged in Oregon, at $3.95 + $.69/ minute ($14.30 for a 15-minute collect call). Washington has the highest interstate rate: $4.95 + $.89/minute, or $18.30 for a 15-minute long distance collect call."
If they wouldn’t have to pay so much in the US for a phone call, this would be far less necessary.
> "Colorado has the highest prison phone rate for local calls, at $2.75 + $.23/minute ($6.20 for a 15-minute local collect call). The highest intrastate phone rate is charged in Oregon, at $3.95 + $.69/ minute ($14.30 for a 15-minute collect call). Washington has the highest interstate rate: $4.95 + $.89/minute, or $18.30 for a 15-minute long distance collect call."
In October of 2015, the FCC capped prison phone call rates so providers couldn't charge up to the $14 per minute which some were charging[1].
I think most corrections departments consider phones and internet items which should be controlled (so they can be deprived for punishment and rewarded for good behavior).
Also, "monitored" doesn't happen for free. In my state, Department of Corrections officers are paid very well and have far better pensions + benefits + work rules. Monitoring by prison officials is really expensive, especially with the ~2million prisoners we have/had.
[1] http://money.cnn.com/2015/10/23/news/fcc-prison-phone-call-r...
I think most corrections departments consider phones and internet items which should be controlled (so they can be deprived for punishment and rewarded for good behavior).
Also, "monitored" doesn't happen for free. In my state, Department of Corrections officers are paid very well and have far better pensions + benefits + work rules. Monitoring by prison officials is really expensive, especially with the ~2million prisoners we have/had.
[1] http://money.cnn.com/2015/10/23/news/fcc-prison-phone-call-r...
> Also, "monitored" doesn't happen for free. In my state, Department of Corrections officers are paid very well and have far better pensions + benefits + work rules. Monitoring by prison officials is really expensive, especially with the ~2million prisoners we have/had.
And? That’s why we pay for prisons in the first place. With the same argument we could deny them the right to clothing. Not necessary, too expensive.
But prisons are (at least here in Europe) designed as facilities to rehabilitate the people, and that requires that they can have social contact directly or via telephone, for free; it requires that they can towards the end of their term slowly get more freedoms, and be integrated back into society over months.
Treating them as something where we have to save money at all costs is, IMO, the wrong approach.
And? That’s why we pay for prisons in the first place. With the same argument we could deny them the right to clothing. Not necessary, too expensive.
But prisons are (at least here in Europe) designed as facilities to rehabilitate the people, and that requires that they can have social contact directly or via telephone, for free; it requires that they can towards the end of their term slowly get more freedoms, and be integrated back into society over months.
Treating them as something where we have to save money at all costs is, IMO, the wrong approach.
It must be pretty easy to block communications in a prison? Presumably it's a bit of a game, they want the prisoners communicating so they can track it??
In ths U.S., at least, it is illegal to block/interfere with cellular transmissions -- even for prisons (there are employees and visitors with cell phones, nearby homes, etc.).
I recall reading an article about how one prison in particular was using DF equipment to track down phones since they couldn't block them.
I recall reading an article about how one prison in particular was using DF equipment to track down phones since they couldn't block them.
Depending where the prison is some laws would need to be changed before cell-phone jammers are allowed. That leaves converting the prison into a faraday cage, which is pretty expensive and difficult to do.
If you want to track prisoner communication you give them free access to landline phones which you record, and crack down on cellphones which are hard to monitor.
If you want to track prisoner communication you give them free access to landline phones which you record, and crack down on cellphones which are hard to monitor.
>If you want to track prisoner communication you give them free access to landline phones which you record, and crack down on cellphones which are hard to monitor
Most jails and prisons in the US do this, but minus the free part. The telecom providers charge outrageous fees and revenue share back with the prison.
Edit: There's been some reform since this was published, but it's still an issue:
"Colorado has the highest prison phone rate for local calls, at $2.75 + $.23/minute ($6.20 for a 15-minute local collect call). The highest intrastate phone rate is charged in Oregon, at $3.95 + $.69/ minute ($14.30 for a 15-minute collect call). Washington has the highest interstate rate: $4.95 + $.89/minute, or $18.30 for a 15-minute long distance collect call."
https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/in-the-news/2011/pln-release...
Most jails and prisons in the US do this, but minus the free part. The telecom providers charge outrageous fees and revenue share back with the prison.
Edit: There's been some reform since this was published, but it's still an issue:
"Colorado has the highest prison phone rate for local calls, at $2.75 + $.23/minute ($6.20 for a 15-minute local collect call). The highest intrastate phone rate is charged in Oregon, at $3.95 + $.69/ minute ($14.30 for a 15-minute collect call). Washington has the highest interstate rate: $4.95 + $.89/minute, or $18.30 for a 15-minute long distance collect call."
https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/in-the-news/2011/pln-release...
I would think it would require a faraday cage around the prison.
But it'll end up being an active jamming system sold by a sibling-in-law of the politician who proposes the measure that causes interference and other safety issues and is easily subverted instead.
Well, carefully constructed reinforced concrete could definitely act as a faraday cage.
Or just tell the carriers not to accept connections coming from inside the prisons
Carriers can't pinpoint the location of calls (unless the phone provides the location, e.x. E911)
How? Carriers don't do active triangulation on ever phone within tower range so they don't know exactly where a connection is coming from.
Set up a base station in the prison, harvest the IMEIs, feed in to blocklist?
And also block every guard/visitor/person walking nearby?
Guards and visitors could easily be whitelisted. Person's walking nearby the cells of a prison should only be guards/visitors or people whose phones you want to block?
The IMEI catcher's signal isn't going to stop dead on the edge of the prison/jail yard and a lot are near/in cities. Where I live the jail is right next to the performing arts center and the baseball stadium there'd be massive amounts of false positives.
Put a picocell or stingray in the prison and monitor any calls made through it.
Or install a StingRay / IMSI catcher at the prison and eavesdrop on the prisoners' calls.
(Probably not legal, especially if you can't ensure you won't intercept calls originating from outside the prison)
(Probably not legal, especially if you can't ensure you won't intercept calls originating from outside the prison)
I'm under the impression that it's legal as of now.
Any time you run a StingRay in a populated area, you will grab some unintended calls. I'm under the impression (assuming judges are aware of this "collateral damage") that it's tolerable because if you are in the area you probably meet some threshold similar to "more likely than not" to have either committed a crime (or in the case of visitors to the prison, voluntarily given away your rights).
That said, I hope a tech-savvy judge gets to rule on a similar case eventually.
Any time you run a StingRay in a populated area, you will grab some unintended calls. I'm under the impression (assuming judges are aware of this "collateral damage") that it's tolerable because if you are in the area you probably meet some threshold similar to "more likely than not" to have either committed a crime (or in the case of visitors to the prison, voluntarily given away your rights).
That said, I hope a tech-savvy judge gets to rule on a similar case eventually.
The fundamental of capitalism is that, if there is market for a product, you can build it, sell it, and someone is guaranteed to buy it.
As far as I'm concerned, this is merely the logical conclusion.
Agreed on the 'how TF did I end up reading this article' reaction, marginally relevant in the tech world, and amusing to read.
As far as I'm concerned, this is merely the logical conclusion.
Agreed on the 'how TF did I end up reading this article' reaction, marginally relevant in the tech world, and amusing to read.
All set for a remake of Pulp Fiction. https://youtu.be/kngBtoylIVM
Excellent writing. "Then there's André Silva, whose anus was the portal to an Aladdin's Cave of contraband"
I think this headline rewrite is phenomenal.
This kind of thing makes me think we are in the dark ages when it comes to dealing with offenders. One day perhaps humanity will reach the stage where we have the know-how to prevent criminality, and effectively rehabilitate offenders in case it does happen, and without having to go to ridiculous technological lengths.
I'm reminded of the airport scene from Fight Club - phones that go inside "a" butt, not "your" butt
Apple should jump into this market and call it the iPhone XXX
Apple is likely to go beyond and make ocular implants at some point. The apple watch is also getting more and more capable, if they can slim that one down a bit more it would also become viable. If pricey - this one's just $40.
> this one's just $40.
Sure, but the iPhone XXX will detect if it's shoved up someone's ass and automatically go to silent mode. It Just Works™. You don't want to get caught because you forgot to put your cheap ass-phone on silent.
Sure, but the iPhone XXX will detect if it's shoved up someone's ass and automatically go to silent mode. It Just Works™. You don't want to get caught because you forgot to put your cheap ass-phone on silent.
Ah, good old https://xkcd.com/37/
Light vibration would be more appropriate. Together with custom ringtones for different contacts you'd be able to passively receive coded messages.
And fill your circle at the same time.
[deleted]
odammit(1)
I can't decide whether I should upvote or flag this.
api(2)
Why is actually acceptable to limit the communications of prisoners at all. They have their mobility limited - it is punishment enough. Not sure how limiting them from the internet and cell phones helps with their debt to society.
To prevent commissioning of crimes is probably the best reason. For example smuggling in drugs, arranging escapes, harassing victims, etc.
All of those are crimes and easily trackable. If you want to make it life sentence be my guest.
If crimes were easily trackable and prosecutable, we probably wouldn't have such a hard time keeping criminals in jail. We still have crimes committed in jail that don't get properly solved, much less sentenced.
Also, this isn't necessarily about dumb kids being busted for drugs or stealing, but organized crime members. The possibility of them ordering hits from inside prison walls or tracking down people in witness protection kind of makes people nervous about letting them talk with anyone and everyone. That's not to say it's the most effective means, since smuggling, messengers, visitors and other means still exist for passing information. But that's not really an excuse to not try at all.
Also, this isn't necessarily about dumb kids being busted for drugs or stealing, but organized crime members. The possibility of them ordering hits from inside prison walls or tracking down people in witness protection kind of makes people nervous about letting them talk with anyone and everyone. That's not to say it's the most effective means, since smuggling, messengers, visitors and other means still exist for passing information. But that's not really an excuse to not try at all.
I'm pretty sure that the vast majority of prisoners are not mafia bosses who order hits from prison. I'd consider it totally okay to isolate these people.
But most prisons are filled with dumb kids busted for drugs or stealing, and I see no reason why we should make them even more miserable... I'd rather have them keep their connections in the outside world, so they have more of a chance to get back on their feet once they are released.
(Also, I'm pretty sure an prisoner browsing Facebook all day makes a lot less trouble than one who has nothing to do all day...)
But most prisons are filled with dumb kids busted for drugs or stealing, and I see no reason why we should make them even more miserable... I'd rather have them keep their connections in the outside world, so they have more of a chance to get back on their feet once they are released.
(Also, I'm pretty sure an prisoner browsing Facebook all day makes a lot less trouble than one who has nothing to do all day...)
Prisoners already have communication mediums that guards can monitor and if they want to talk to someone with no prying ears or eyes, they can talk to a lawyer. Prisoners should have no need for cell phones or access to unrestricted communications. Yes, there are some young people in prison that really shouldn't be but there are plenty of dangerous gang members in there that should be totally removed from their "business responsibilities".
> Prisoners already have communication mediums that guards can monitor
Those are often exploitatively priced, a situation Ajit Pai has sought to preserve:
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/02/republican-led-f...
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/13/technology/fcc-prison-pho...
Those are often exploitatively priced, a situation Ajit Pai has sought to preserve:
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/02/republican-led-f...
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/13/technology/fcc-prison-pho...
That's a different issue and shouldn't be resolved by letting prisoners have unrestricted access to cell phones.
But it's not solved so the smuggling will continue.
You forget that mafia bosses don't get put into jail for being mafia bosses. Many times they got caught with smaller crimes, like tax evasion.
We know that some prisoners continue to commit crime, and that they use mobile phones to do so.
I'm strongly in favour of rehabilitation. I don't think prison works and it should be used far less than it is. But even I think that control of mobile phones is important.
And it's not just about phones. A prisoner could easily pack Stanley knife blades in a safe package and put those up his anus.
There are some important human rights balances here. We can't insert fingers into the anus of all prisoners just in case, but we do need to protect prisoners from violent crime.
This is especially true because there are a range of different types of detention against your will - patients in a mental health hospital on a short assessment stay; people in a police cell overnight; medium term patients in MH hospital; long term patients in a forensic hospital (they committed an act of serious violence while they were mentally ill and were sent to hospital); long term prisoners who keep committing acts of violence while in prison. We can't perform the same levels of checking on all of them.
There has been some work on this, on checking what type of airport scanners work or don't work for detecting blades. It's a bit scary to see what gets through.
I'm strongly in favour of rehabilitation. I don't think prison works and it should be used far less than it is. But even I think that control of mobile phones is important.
And it's not just about phones. A prisoner could easily pack Stanley knife blades in a safe package and put those up his anus.
There are some important human rights balances here. We can't insert fingers into the anus of all prisoners just in case, but we do need to protect prisoners from violent crime.
This is especially true because there are a range of different types of detention against your will - patients in a mental health hospital on a short assessment stay; people in a police cell overnight; medium term patients in MH hospital; long term patients in a forensic hospital (they committed an act of serious violence while they were mentally ill and were sent to hospital); long term prisoners who keep committing acts of violence while in prison. We can't perform the same levels of checking on all of them.
There has been some work on this, on checking what type of airport scanners work or don't work for detecting blades. It's a bit scary to see what gets through.
Let's say you are in prison for online fraud. You get internet access. You'll continue to fraud.
The balance has been struck all wrong, though, with thinking like that totally dominating the policy discussion. Yes, there are some inmates (like fruadsters, drug kingpins) who will use any communication channel for more crime, but there are probably many more that won't. I'm for keeping the latter in close contact with their non-criminal family, friends, and support networks in the interests of keeping recidivism low as well as moral reasons.
Meanwhile, we have private companies profiting off of exploitatively-priced communications services for inmates, when both they and their families are often in little position to pay the excessive charges:
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/02/republican-led-f...
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/13/technology/fcc-prison-pho...
The best (if not most profitable) solution, IMHO, is to offer inmates a low cost to free, monitored telephone service that they can use to call people on a white-list. If they're found to be abusing it, it can be taken away, but it should be otherwise unlimited.
Meanwhile, we have private companies profiting off of exploitatively-priced communications services for inmates, when both they and their families are often in little position to pay the excessive charges:
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/02/republican-led-f...
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/13/technology/fcc-prison-pho...
The best (if not most profitable) solution, IMHO, is to offer inmates a low cost to free, monitored telephone service that they can use to call people on a white-list. If they're found to be abusing it, it can be taken away, but it should be otherwise unlimited.
Sure, because segregating and separating prisoners from everything is a great way to reintegrate them back in society...
Oh, that. We don't care about reintegration. We don't care if they survive outside of prison. And with what little educational abilities have been destroyed, are we surprised in the least that they go back to criminal actions to make money?
Oh, that. We don't care about reintegration. We don't care if they survive outside of prison. And with what little educational abilities have been destroyed, are we surprised in the least that they go back to criminal actions to make money?
So you're saying people guilty of computer fraud should retain access to computers?
Don't get me wrong, I do agree that the US justice system is focused on punishment instead of revalidation and there's a lot that can be improved there, but this is about giving people who have a problem access to that which enabled their problem.
Don't get me wrong, I do agree that the US justice system is focused on punishment instead of revalidation and there's a lot that can be improved there, but this is about giving people who have a problem access to that which enabled their problem.
To be fair we do let people convicted of arson continue to have access to oxygen
Eh, yes, because IOT makes everything a computer on the internet? That law cuts them off from shoes, cups and cars? Basically a mandatory tamper-proof store of a felonys internet use and access would be enough. If the evidence is not there - or they went astray..
Does any limit imposed on the inmate's communications prevent reintegration?
I'm not saying the current system - which is very exploitative of inmates, with extremely expensive calls - is anywhere near OK. But that doesn't mean you can't have provide inmates with decent communication accessibilities without having uncontrolled cellphones with them.
I'm not saying the current system - which is very exploitative of inmates, with extremely expensive calls - is anywhere near OK. But that doesn't mean you can't have provide inmates with decent communication accessibilities without having uncontrolled cellphones with them.
VICE.com unique voice is strong in this article. Their writing style guide was recently leaked: https://youtu.be/C-q4bEULG64?t=4
Obviously it's possible to get reasonably large items up your bottom, otherwise fisting wouldn't be such a popular hobby, but for the purposes of easy storage and retrieval, you're going to want to go as small as possible.
Look, I've had plenty of "How did I get here?" moments on the internet, but this is the first time it's been directly from an HN link.