1984 Comes Even Closer In UK

[Sionyn]

Met Police to extract 'suspects' mobile phone data
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18102793

my question is how dose this device exists ?
surely its violating the pattens of devices manufactures, if so aren't they just asking to be sued

let alone the computer miss use act

[G7PSK]

Why do they need such an expensive tool you can buy a sim card reader for £2.00 on e bay. Looks like more criminality from the police ( some one is getting a kick back).

[xquercus]

There have been reports of warrantless copying of cell phone data by law enforcement in the US as well.  Apparently some of these incidents have occurred involving people stopped for minor traffic violations and other non-criminal offenses.  Of course, in most of the the civilized world, individuals are protected from unreasonable search.  Law enforcement have been defending their actions based on the fact that have simply been asking individuals for their cell phones.  Once an individual willingly hands the phone over to law enforcement, there is no need for a warrant.  Of course, the individual could simply decline the request to hand over their cell phone (and that would likely be the end of it) but many people, when confronted by an authority figure, simply comply with such requests.

As to the use of rather sophisticated hardware to do the copying, law enforcement is able to do more than simply copy the sim card.  The are able to image pretty much image all of the data on the phone -- included supposedly deleted data.  The devices are intended to be very simple to use.  This makes is possible for an officer to, for example, image someones cell phone in the 90 seconds it takes to run their plates and check for warrants back in the patrol car.  Sure, they could use a card reader, but the more sophisticated devices are faster, recover much more data, and are compatible with thousands of different phone models.

[Dawn]

There's several companies making such a device in the states. Most are deployed in police vehicles inside of a small attache case with several "dongles" that mate with various different phones. The devices are stand alone terminals that look similar to credit/debit card terminals. During the short time one is detained, these units can image the contents of the smartphone before the individual is even aware and his personal effects returned.

[G7PSK]

This is going to put the price of very old phones up among the criminal fraternity. They did not have an easily accessible external connection.