How Balco Labs Got Busted

[Old Guy]

Here is the link to the affidavit used to get the search warrant in the Balco Labs case.
Obviously there were some tracks left uncovered.
Pretty long read.

http://www.mercurynews.com/multimedia/bayarea/mercurynews/Balco_Affidavit.pdf

 

[Ganryu]

Good read. Should have done a better job keeping things picked up.

 

[heregothere]

thanks, interesting read

 

[bigdude]

that freaks me out. They had copies of emails and threads he posted.

 

[mvmaxx]

This is some scary shit. I wonder if they can do this with hush accounts.

 

[elijah_123]

If hush is based in the U.S. or a country that is friendly enough to let the U.S Govt. force their way in to accounts, then Yes they can do this.

 

[XXX]

This goes to show you that if they want to take you down they can
and have access to anything they need to do it. I felt like they were
going to be at my door after reading all that. But I have no reason to worry.

 

[mvmaxx]

If hush is based in the U.S. or a country that is friendly enough to let the U.S Govt. force their way in to accounts, then Yes they can do this.

Yeah but I'm trying to figure out exactly what this "pen register" is. It sounds like they have some kind of sniffer they put on his ISP and tracked what he's doing. If that's the case then hush sends encrypted so they wouldn't be able to see that.

 

[Powerhouse9]

I wonder who the 6 athletes are that are being charged. I will be amazed if Bonds doesnt retire because of this, before his image is tarnished. And I will be more amazed if he comes out of it clean.

 

[Popichulo]

Yeah but I'm trying to figure out exactly what this "pen register" is. It sounds like they have some kind of sniffer they put on his ISP and tracked what he's doing. If that's the case then hush sends encrypted so they wouldn't be able to see that.

True, Hush aswell as ziplip transfer in a encrypted format but it can still be decoded with the proper key and being in the FBI and shit I dont think it would be too hard for them to obtain.

 

[mvmaxx]

True, Hush aswell as ziplip transfer in a encrypted format but it can still be decoded with the proper key and being in the FBI and shit I dont think it would be too hard for them to obtain.

Wouldn't matter if they had the keys though as the private key won't get decrypted unless you have the passphrase.

 

[Popichulo]

Wouldn't matter if they had the keys though as the private key won't get decrypted unless you have the passphrase.

True. Any hey Knob Gobbler im still waiting on my e-mail.

 

[Popichulo]

Damn your fast!

 

[mvmaxx]

Damn your fast!

 

[AustinTX]

looked like it was just for the header info, which even in encrypted email is sent plain text. hushmail sends from their servers, and doesn't forward your IP address (unlike zip, I believe) so it wouldn't do them any good...

 

[Grabz]

Damn that is a lot of shit!! I would hate to be the guy having to type all that up. Sounds like he really has all his ducks in a row though.

 

[bwood]

Yeah but I'm trying to figure out exactly what this "pen register" is. It sounds like they have some kind of sniffer they put on his ISP and tracked what he's doing. If that's the case then hush sends encrypted so they wouldn't be able to see that.

---Pen Registers: NOT a search b/c D’s have no reasonable expectation of privacy in numbers they dial.

Smith v. MD (1979): Woman robbed by D, who then began making threatening calls to her. She identified D’s car, and police traced it to D. W/o warrant, police requested phone co. to place pen register on switchboard to record numbers dialed from D’s home. Register revealed call to victim’s phone. Police used this to get warrant and search D’s house. D convicted of robbery.

US SC: No search b/c people don’t have subj. or obj. expectation of privacy in phone #s they dial b/c #s are “conveyed” to phone company; phone book says phone company would “help in identifying to authorities the origin of unwelcome and troublesome calls.

**In response to this case, Congress passed law requiring court order, but court order is easier to get than search warrant b/c pen register gets less intrusive information. They only have to show that the info is relevant to ongoing criminal investigation. For a wiretap, officers have to prove that no other investigative technique would get the same info.