Hey mister,whats that bleeping black box under your car..

Scary Stuff.. Especially since it has been ruled that no warrants are needed in these types of cases...... I blame paris hilton.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/08/american-student-finds-gps-tracker-stuck-to-car-fbi-shows-up-to/

American student finds GPS tracker stuck to car, FBI shows up to reclaim its 'federal property' By Tim Stevens posted Oct 8th 2010 8:16AM Mechanics spot strange things stuck under cars all the time, but when 20-year-old Yasir Afifi's ride was put up on lifts his shop found something that hadn't been kicked up from the road: a cylindrical tube connected to a device with an antenna. An extremely paranoid person would think they'd found a bomb, but the truth isn't much better. It was an FBI tracking device. Afifi posted pictures and his story on Reddit while a friend contemplated cunning things to do with it, sticking it to someone else's car or selling it on Craigslist. They didn't have long to ponder long before two "sneaky-looking" people were spotted outside his apartment. Afifi got in his car and drove off, only to be pulled over by FBI agents who demanded the device back, threatening "We're going to make this much more difficult for you if you don't cooperate." Now, we've already given our opinions on using GPS technology like this and, while it's unknown whether these agents had a warrant to place this device, the 9th US Court of Appeals recently made one unnecessary for this sort of thing. The ACLU is working with Afifi to fight that ruling, and for now we're hoping that he, who is an American with an Egyptian father, is currently able to hit the town without agents following his every move. However, at this point they may not need a tracker: one agent who retrieved the device took the time to list off his favorite restaurants and even congratulated him on his new job.

ignorant wrote: Scary Stuff.. http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/08/american-student-finds-gps-tracker-stuck-to-car-fbi-shows-up-to/

American student finds GPS tracker stuck to car, FBI shows up to reclaim its 'federal property' By Tim Stevens posted Oct 8th 2010 8:16AM Mechanics spot strange things stuck under cars all the time, but when 20-year-old Yasir Afifi's ride was put up on lifts his shop found something that hadn't been kicked up from the road: a cylindrical tube connected to a device with an antenna. An extremely paranoid person would think they'd found a bomb, but the truth isn't much better. It was an FBI tracking device. Afifi posted pictures and his story on Reddit while a friend contemplated cunning things to do with it, sticking it to someone else's car or selling it on Craigslist. They didn't have long to ponder long before two "sneaky-looking" people were spotted outside his apartment. Afifi got in his car and drove off, only to be pulled over by FBI agents who demanded the device back, threatening "We're going to make this much more difficult for you if you don't cooperate." Now, we've already given our opinions on using GPS technology like this and, while it's unknown whether these agents had a warrant to place this device, the 9th US Court of Appeals recently made one unnecessary for this sort of thing. The ACLU is working with Afifi to fight that ruling, and for now we're hoping that he, who is an American with an Egyptian father, is currently able to hit the town without agents following his every move. However, at this point they may not need a tracker: one agent who retrieved the device took the time to list off his favorite restaurants and even congratulated him on his new job.

Pfffft.

Rookies.

They posted pics of it on the internet. They should have just taken it off and put it on a city bus, or a greyhound bus, or the mayors car too many options to list really.

Wonder what would have happend if they destroyed it? I do like the idea of it on a Greyhound bus, Or maybe a LeMons car.

Place it on a totalled car, on the back of a tow truck, on it's way to a crusher. A.) Let them try to retrieve "their" little black box. B.) Let them guess if it was Afifi's car that was crushed....with him in it.

There was an article a while back about police putting a similar device on a guys car, WHILE IT WAS IN HIS DRIVEWAY. The judge said the car was in the public domain in his driveway, since anybody (Jehovah's Witness, Girl Scouts, Meat salesmen) could walk up to his door.

Scary stuff. And it amazes me that more people aren't outraged by this type of stuff. AND a court said it was legal. Worrying trends my friends.

stick it to a car going to the salt flats. Make sure it's a really fast one. Then they can have fun figuring out why Yasir is going 400 mph.

I say fake your own death in the car, then go all Jason Bourne on 'em.

You'd think the FBI could afford something a little smaller.

god forbid that I ever come under their scrutiny like this ... but I PROMISE all that read this that I will (once it's been found) attach it somewhere like has been mentioned ... or even better crush it to powder and let them try to get it back/ make me pay for it ...

I might have called the local PD/Bomb disposal unit to blow up my car and make the Feds buy me a new car.

Or attached it to a rail car.

Or launched it in an Estes Rocket.

Even better, weather balloon!

It's Berkleying creepy as hell, I know that much!

that is a good point.. if the locals blew up your car thinking it was a bomb.. is the FBI responsible for replacing the car? I kinda doubt it

Hurray for the Patriot Act!!

Oh wait!

Well how would you place blame on the FBI if your car blows up and you have no idea who put it there? Not such a great decision there, you'd have to let your insurance work that one out while you prolly rock a rental PT Cruiser. Obviously there is more to this story...not every Joe Afschmoe gets a GPS stuck to the bottom of their car.

DirtyBird222 wrote: Obviously there is more to this story...not every Joe Afschmoe gets a GPS stuck to the bottom of their car.

Of course, but it is scary that no warrent is needed. Today it's drug dealers and tan people with a funny religion, but what what if tommorrow it becomes people who polute needlessly or listen to AM radio. If the want to follow me make them do it the old fashoned way with bad suits and a big Ford.

tuna55 wrote: Hurray for the Patriot Act!! Oh wait!

no E36 M3..

+twelveventy bilion.

cause elleventy billion is for bitches.

This guy is an american citizen... Seriously.. What happened to that authorized the CIA to kill an american citizen crap...

just one example of many of how the sub-paragraphs of the so called "patriot" act infringe upon the rights of American citizens. I am all about catching bad people, but this ends justifies the means Machiavellian-ism crap is way below us.

First: We do not have all the facts. We have only his word that it was an FBI installed device. It was a crappy amateur install if it was that easily found. I have been involved in two vehicle searches for these things on customers' cars (see Second) and they are very easy to hide correctly.

Second: GPS vehicle trackers are easily available. Just two examples: http://www.accutracking.com/ http://www.rmtracking.com/ Google them, there's plenty of services out there. Yeah, I looked into it pretty recently for my own reasons. You don't reckon maybe he's a part time dope dealer who is not completely trusted, do ya? But nooooo, it's automatically the Patriot Act.

Third: Assuming it really is an FBI device, I would venture to guess the Fibbies don't track just anyone for no reason. The 'it's an ongoing investigation' bit means nothing. Why would they confirm or deny?

More on the story:

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/10/fbi-tracking-device/

The device has been identified as one that is sold only to law enforcement. While it is possible it fell into the wrong hands, it's more probable that some law enforcement agency is tracking Afifi. Especially if he really did get surrounded by a boatload of Feds wanting it back. He does sound like someone the Feds would track (Half-Arab, travels to Middle East often, etc.).

In reply to Jensenman: Pot's been legalized in Cali. Even if it weren't, it's not really worth the effort to bust a couple of dope-smokers unless they were caught in the act or with a dimebag on them.

In reply to everyone who said, "I'd stick it to a pack-mule's ass, etc.": No, you wouldn't. Most of us would have given the GPS device back to the scary men in the black suits. The savvy few would have lawyered up immediately. Afifi better do the same. Whether Afifi's right or wrong this story is making the FBI look bad and they will give him plenty to worry about.

ignorant wrote: Seriously.. What happened to that authorized the CIA to kill an american citizen crap...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/06/AR2010040604121.html

Washinton Post said: "A Muslim cleric tied to the attempted bombing of a Detroit-bound airliner has become the first U.S. citizen added to a list of suspected terrorists the CIA is authorized to kill, a U.S. official said Tuesday. "

Somehow I had missed this story. If what they say is true he is a bad man to be sure but I would have thought that being a citizen meant you were treated a little different than everyone else. This is one of the times that I woould have to uncomfortably agree with the ACLU and think they should be attempting to catch him and bring him in for a trial. If he got killed in the process so be it but to come right out and decide to assasinate a citizen is a pretty big step.

In reply to RexSeven: I wasn't referring to the police following him but rather a higher up dope dealer. And pot's not the only illicit substance being sold out there.

As you said, just because it's a device aimed at law enforcement organizations doesn't mean it belonged to the FBI. Even assault weapons ostensibly meant to be used only by law enforcement are easily available to anyone with sufficient $. The Wired article even says it was an older battery powered model no longer in use because the batteries go dead. Hmmm, surplus auction, perhaps?

His story about six agents showing up demanding the expensive device doesn't hold water either. Put yourself in the FBI's shoes: if that happened to one of your tracking devices, would you make such a public display out of it? Um, no. I think the guy's watched too many TV shows. Not only that, but let's assume for a moment that when it was discovered he knew exactly who placed it and why. What better way to raise awareness in those who planted it than to go public like this? It's a good way to keep them off his ass.

Hell, let's assume for a moment that it really was the Feds. If I were with the local FBI office I'd keep my mouth shut the way they are doing because that's some great free publicity, even if it wasn't the FBI that did it. Every clown (sorry, Guido!) who is in the middle of something highly illegal will suddenly become extra paranoid. And paranoia breeds mistakes.

About the CIA being authorized to kill the US born cleric: hmmm. I am on the fence about this too. I sort of get the feeling that, if it's real, the authorization was given so that in the event a Predator drone or etc did manage to kill the guy then the operator of the drone would not face murder charges. But what if there were no authorization and the guy was 'collateral damage' like the guy mentioned in the last sentence of the WP article? Does that now make it OK?

It's strange how the guy is a US citizen who plots the demise of the US government but retains citizenship, I guess he's thinking that means he is protected by the same system of government and justice he wants to topple by force. Hypocrisy, anyone?

It seems odd that the prevailing sentiment is that it's OK to kill foreign nationals who are deemed a threat to the US but not to kill US citizens who turn against the country and either use or advocate the use of force. FWIW: in this country everyone has the right to bitch and complain about the government all they want. They even have the right to work to change that government. There are established methods of doing so which are open to all citizens. The one thing US citizens are not authorized to do along those lines is to overthrow the government by force.

Jensenman wrote: About the CIA being authorized to kill the US born cleric: hmmm. I am on the fence about this too. I sort of get the feeling that, if it's real, the authorization was given so that in the event a Predator drone or etc did manage to kill the guy then the operator of the drone would not face murder charges. But what if there were no authorization and the guy was 'collateral damage' like the guy mentioned in the last sentence of the WP article? Does that now make it OK? It's strange how the guy is a US citizen who plots the demise of the US government but retains citizenship, I guess he's thinking that means he is protected by the same system of government and justice he wants to topple by force. Hypocrisy, anyone? It seems odd that the prevailing sentiment is that it's OK to kill foreign nationals who are deemed a threat to the US but not to kill US citizens who turn against the country and either use or advocate the use of force. FWIW: in this country everyone has the right to bitch and complain about the government all they want. They even have the right to work to change that government. There are established methods of doing so which are open to all citizens. The one thing US citizens are not authorized to do along those lines is to overthrow the government by force.

slipperly slope buddy.. So you're saying.. its OK to track and kill certain citizens but not others.

I'd much rather have the government present the evidence against him in court, revoke his citizenship and then deport his ass.. maybe an ok case for rendition?

We have turned into a nation of lawless assassins. We've been essentially murder people with our cool little remotely operated planes for years now. No trial, no arrest, no chance to defend yourself, you just all of a sudden get blowed up. It's a ok in my book if we did it as part of war, but we haven't declared a war so we are not in a war. Even if we were at war, we aren't at war with Pakistan, and that's where we like to assassinate people the most it seems.

If the the device was placed there by the FBI and they had a warrant to do so, then that's one thing. If it was placed there because where the dude drives in his car is in the public domain then that is a big load of crap and a perversion of the principles this country was founded on.

It is a slippery slope indeed and we are already sliding down it.