Tech | October 08, 2010 | 138 comments

American student finds GPS tracker stuck to car, FBI shows up to reclaim its 'federal property'

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lordsbassman
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 before long 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.

** This was on Gizmodo the other day but now the FBI wants the property back and the ACLU is involved.

http://gizmodo.com/5658661/fbi-gets-caught-tracking-mans-car-wants-its-gps-devic...

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138 comments // American student finds GPS tracker stuck to car, FBI shows up to reclaim its 'federal property'

  • Jose_Lopez
    • +1
      Jose_Lopez  
    • it even sounds funny but it can happen to any of us, i did lived in New York around September 11 and you could really tell who was a cop or who was the civilian, lets remember too, George Bush's brother was in charge of the security of the towers and there are many pictures of Osama's family and George Bush's family together plus Osama Bin Laden work as an agent for the CIA when George Bush's father was the head of it CIA.

    • 1 year ago
  • randallr01
  • bailey78
  • lordsbassman
  • miscp
  • bailey78
    • +2
      bailey78  
    • I crawl under my car at least once a week looking just for such items. I'm not paranoid I just don't trust my Goverment.

    • 1 year ago
  • NiceN
  • southrabbit
  • bailey78
  • randallr01
  • Jose_Lopez
    • 0
      Jose_Lopez  
    • how can we fight the system, this is getting out of hand(well it was out of hands before) but we are letting them take our civilian liberties, I don't want to sound like a freak but is very easy to see when they are doing wrong, is always because we are fighting against terrorism , but if they were doing their job right we wouldn't have this problem in the first place,

    • 1 year ago
  • PigFarmington
  • Knintendo
    • +3
      Knintendo  
    • wow i mean look how paranoid we have become tagging cars to american citizens and most of its just based on if a " person looks like a terrorist" how the hell do you "look" like a terrorist ! any one can be a damn terrorist damn racists.

    • 1 year ago
  • lordsbassman
  • franklinpeanut
  • ayipis
    • -5
      ayipis  
    • okay guys here is the bitter pill..the federal government..yes same federal government that regulates your healthcare..can pretty much shove that device up his ass and justify it..(thanks of course to osama bin laden)..

      and..

      ..there is nothing you can do about it.......what are you guys going to do?? vote for another "change"?

      stay sober and dont smoke dope..all it does is make the person compliant and stupid...

    • 1 year ago
  • Saladin
    • +1
      Saladin  
    • ayipis:

      That's a totally fatalist view of the situation.

      What they're doing is unconstitutional, wrong and utterly useless for national defense purposes.

      While it isn't likely that it will change anytime soon, saying there's "nothing" anyone can do is obviously wrong. We could stop it tomorrow if we wanted to, and a lot of progress has been made even with conservative supreme court in getting rid of some of the nastier surveillance crap.

      And it is NOT Bin Laden's fault, it's OURS. We were too big of cowards to choose our liberties over our security. We traded in basic legal practice for a false sense of safety.

    • 1 year ago
  • grandavi
  • Paratus
    • -2
      Paratus  
    • grandavi:

      In case you missed it this is happening under Obamas watch, a Demoncrat for your information. Additionally we have increased surveilance of cell phones and posts on "current" regarding intercept of e-mails. Obama also increased the Afgan force by 30k people. The invasion of privacy is happening NOW under OBAMA.

    • 1 year ago
  • randallr01
  • Paratus
    • +1
      Paratus  
    • randallr01:

      Bingo on the government itself. When Bush was in office the howls and outcrys about the "destruction of our rights" were legion. My post was a comment to grandavi about how he should use some intellectual honesty in saying the "invasion of privacy is Bush, and Bush......" etc. I don't see the thought processess in downthumbing what I said. It is the truth. I guess the truth bothers the Obama supporters.
      Don't forget that governments have powers. It is the people who have rights. A government that destroys, or attempts to destroy these rights is not better because it is Democrat or Republican. Your rights are still destroyed. It is like being a little bit pregnant. You either are or you aren't. I beat up on Obama and company a lot here. That is because I perceive, along with a lot of other people, that he is a very grave danger to our country. If Obama were a republican I would feel the same way. Obama is not a threat to us because he is a Democrat. He is a Democrat who happens to be a threat to us. Regretably his desire to exert control over the people is not limited to just him or just his party. If it were things would be a lot easier. If the Republicans take the HOuse/Senate in November they will require watching just as much as the Democrats do now.

    • 1 year ago
  • Prijedor
    • +8
      Prijedor  
    • All races and religions get it in america, it was the irish at one point, its just muslims turn now, it will go away after we secure afghanistan for the corporations and we find us a new enemy...

    • 1 year ago
  • Saladin
  • ayipis
    • -1
      ayipis  
    • Prijedor:

      well hell, where do you think we get the parts for your computer? LOL..afghanistan holds the richest source of minerals that is vital in making batteries for phones and laptops...I am sure you are willing to sacrifice the finer things in your life to secure peace worldwide..do you?..as long as we are WILLING to fork out the dollars to pay for corporate goods and services..there will always be war......(something to think about)

    • 1 year ago
  • ayipis
  • Saladin
    • +1
      Saladin  
    • ayipis:

      That sounds positively LIBERAL, funny that you're aware of that and yet hate us so much.

      Although until China's citizens can start some consuming of their own, their economy is still reliant on our consumption of their goods. They won't call it in until they know they can make it without us.

    • 1 year ago
  • Mark701
    • +1
      Mark701  
    • ayipis:

      Afghanistan has lots of lithium, however no one is actively mining it. The country is too unstable and no corporation, American or will be setting up shop there in the foreseeable future.

    • 1 year ago
  • kenny67
    • +1
      kenny67  
    • Prijedor:

      Also the Native Americans, African Americans, the Japanese and now people of the Islamic faith.. and yes in time people will forget about this but by then people will have found another culture to complain about.

    • 1 year ago
  • randallr01
  • Saladin
    • +4
      Saladin  
    • He should have told them to fuck off, they have no right to treat him like that.

      I'm glad the ACLU is on the case. It takes some fucking nerve to put a tracking device on a person's car and then threaten to fuck with them when they find out it's there.

    • 1 year ago
  • ayipis
    • -7
      ayipis  
    • Saladin:

      ACLU is good in defending "gangsters" and "dope dealers" but you cannot fuck with the federal government...

      shit they might even have a tracking devices on all ACLU members LOL..

      by the way..these federal agents are part of a bigger organization that will be regulating your healthcare..

    • 1 year ago
  • Saladin
    • +4
      Saladin  
    • ayipis:

      The ACLU defends EVERYONE, they even defended Rush Limbaugh.

      They fight for constitutional rights. I know it pisses conservatives off but EVERYONE, not just the people you like, deserves their rights.

      And if you can't make a distinction between INDIVIDUAL FBI agents being dicks and separate, larger Federal programs, you're totally clueless.

      HHS is not the FBI just because it's Federal.

    • 1 year ago
  • Mark701
    • +3
      Mark701  
    • ayipis:

      Gangsters and dope dealers. Yeah, must be why they defended Limbaugh's right to medical privacy when he was sending his housekeeper out to score Oxycontin for him.

    • 1 year ago
  • daveinLA
    • -2
      daveinLA  
    • If the FBI placed a tracking device,,,,there was good reason. It is quite possible that the 2 suspected agents were not even federal agents. They sound more like private investigators.

    • 1 year ago
  • Nephwrack
  • ayipis
  • Nephwrack
    • +2
      Nephwrack  
    • ayipis:

      sure, let's just wipe our ass with the constitution while we're at it and then throw in some religious laws too? how does that sound? oh and maybe no locks on doors anymore, and why do they keep letting people say whatever they want again, anyway?

      if we make all of those changes, the terrorists ( whether you believe it was al queada or the government) win. so, no the damn towers coming down shouldn't change a fucking thing. warrant-less surveillance is ILLEGAL. there's no reason to do it because if someone is suspicious enough to deem that kind of thing necessary, i'm betting dollars to pesos you could probably get it done through regular legal channels.

    • 1 year ago
  • Stoneyroad
    • +4
      Stoneyroad  
    • He should have taken it into the nearest FBI office. I'm sure the only reason the 2 agents threatened him face to face was because they did not want to be held responsible for missing equipment.
      (I think they did this on HBO's The Wire?)

    • 1 year ago
  • miscp
    • +12
      miscp  
    • I crossed from Tijuana to San Diego the other day and got selected for a random secondary inspection. The first agent was the typical asshole agent who overcompensates with excessive force. He told me to go but didn't make it clear I had to pass through an x-ray. While trying to avoid a truck in reverse I was approached by another border patrol agent. He insisted that I pay attention to him and the truck (belonging to customs) ended up smashing into my car TWICE and leaving a 5 inch hole in my door. I was then taken out of the car and detained for "evading the authorities". There I got to sit for three hours and watch how they mistreated people for being brown. They eventually let me go but not before smugly informing me that the collision is considered to be my fault and that they likely wouldn't reimburse me for the damages.

      What else could be expected from a legion of a falling empire

    • 1 year ago
  • Jake_Leonard
    • +3
      Jake_Leonard  
    • miscp:

      I'm sorry for your experience, but thank you for sharing. People need to be made constantly aware of the reality of this power. I'm sick of people dismissing unjust encounters with the law, such as yours, as a rarity. It's blatantly rampant.

    • 1 year ago
  • ayipis
  • TaGgInUrBlOcKuP
  • Mark701
  • miscp
    • 0
      miscp  
    • Jake_Leonard:

      thanks, people do need to speak up. plenty of people I know have had similar encounters.

      They were trying to get me through an x-ray without even asking me if I was pregnant. But then maybe by the way they accused me of being a meth addict (which I am NOT), they probably figured if I were to miscarry it would just be one less meth baby.
      (yes, they actually asked me "Are you a meth addict?" during interrogation on the basis that I'm thinner than I look in my passport picture),

    • 1 year ago
  • Nick19
    • +5
      Nick19  
    • Excuse me while I check the bottom of my car

      *returns back

      Well I didn't find a tracker but unfortunately I have a dead rodent on the bottom of my car.

    • 1 year ago
  • bailey78
  • miscp
  • pjacobs51
  • thetrimsmith
  • ayipis
  • lordsbassman
  • Mark701
  • bailey78
  • randallr01
  • shippit5
    • 0
      shippit5  
    • taking this space to vent. i just saw a red cross commercial on current, with michelle obama urging us to send $10 via text for Haiti relief....made me want puke honestly, how bout we aid the millions in pakistan. maybe we could have let them use our drone base across from the flood break for humanitarian aid? and maybe stop bombing them thru desensitized, unaccountable drone bombings? why dont u make a commercial for that michelle obama.

    • 1 year ago
  • Nephwrack
  • Mark701
    • +1
      Mark701  
    • shippit5:

      I honestly don't know the reasoning you used to segue from a good gesture, like sending aid to Haiti, to drone attacks in Pakistan. They have nothing to do with one another. Also Pakistan already gets billions of dollars in US aid.

    • 1 year ago
  • miscp
    • 0
      miscp  
    • shippit5:

      I'm with you on this one. The worst was the Bush/Clinton TV commercial asking for aid to be sent to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund. Bloody Hypocrites.

    • 1 year ago
  • TomTucker
  • Prijedor
  • ayipis
  • randallr01
  • shanklinmike
  • randallr01
  • dmgatto
    • +4
      dmgatto  
    • When you find a tracking device always attach it to a stray dog. Not to throw off the Feds, just to make the dog feel important.

    • 1 year ago
  • Varex_Sythe
  • bailey78
  • UtopianSky
    • +1
      UtopianSky  
    • We don't have al lthe information here.

      It's easy to assume thins is just some innocent student and the FBI are the "Big Brother" bad guys, but we don't know that.

      This kid, or his dad, might be bad guys- or, they might be innocent and in trouble, so the FBI needs to keep track of them.

      And- there are GPS devices in all of our cell phones, with all of the other tech necessary to make them cell phones, and they are way smaller than this thing.

      Either this is ancient, or it does more than just GPS.

    • 1 year ago
  • Proud_Progressive
  • UtopianSky
  • WeBelieve
  • lordsbassman
  • Proud_Progressive
  • asherp
  • sidewaysclyde
  • boothanew
    • +2
      boothanew  
    • shiiiiit.... besides racial profiling , i wonder what made them think that kid was important enough to track his every move?

    • 1 year ago
  • SpencerTreeGarden
  • ImConcerned
  • bailey78
  • ImConcerned
  • bailey78
  • cheshiresleeves
  • themotivateddropout
    • +6
      themotivateddropout  
    • What would the FBI agents be without their government sanctioned authority?

      A group of sneaky, mouth breathing stalkers who threatens any and everyone who doesn't cooperate with whatever they say.

      We should be able to track them.

    • 1 year ago
  • shanklinmike
  • Mark701
  • s_peak
    • +4
      s_peak  
    • The new tactic of Empires is to divide people on issues so that they cannot organize. In and around 1835... labor union organizers were shot and hanged as a way to keep people from banding into large groups. Now they (empire leaders) proliferate racism, sexism and groups like "democrat", "republican", "libertarian", "christian", "muslim" ... etc. etc... in order to keep people from banding into major groups. It actually makes a lot of sense. If you want to fully control the populace, this is an important tactic.

      You can read all about it in history books. Corporate heads at the time actually SAID THIS... and were known to have hired the gunmen, or paid off the police or judges in order to keep slave labor the way it was.

      We still have slave labor today, the paradigm literally has not changed.... and it's beginning to become more obvious.

    • 1 year ago
  • ayipis
  • oppressed1
    • -18
      oppressed1  
    • He obviously has extremist ties. His dad is probably a terrorit supporter, and they are just making sure this kid isnt doing anything.

    • 1 year ago
  • shanklinmike
    • +5
      shanklinmike  
    • oppressed1:

      As if government could keep us safe....

      what a joke, the cops never even show up until AFTER a crime has occurred anyways.....remind anyone of 9/11?!?

      Then the bureaucrats will fix everything............... yeah, right.........

    • 1 year ago
  • s_peak
    • +7
      s_peak  
    • oppressed1:

      Actually, under the new extension of the patriot act (that Obama signed) you don't have to be on any list. They can now tag your car, without any reason, while it is sitting in your driveway. The definition of "terrorist supporter" has also been stretched to have a MUCH broader meaning.

      You really think that's justice? They're trying to keep people quiet, not protect people. I think it's probably closer to fascist, racial profiling... if history is our guide.

    • 1 year ago
  • Adamant18
  • oppressed1
  • cheshiresleeves
  • maizein
  • shanklinmike
  • shanklinmike
  • Proud_Progressive
  • toastyguy11
  • toastyguy11
  • lordsbassman
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