<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><br><div><div>On 24 Aug 2011, at 1638, Chris Edwards wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div>On Wed, 24 Aug 2011, James Firth wrote:<br><br>| Reading the blurb from Path Intelligence it reads to me on first scan as<br>| though some kind of signature is being cribbed from the subscriber-base<br>| station comms. <br><br>[...]<br><br>| I can't see how this can legally be done without the consent of the <br>| network operator<br><br>For 2G, this bit isn't encrypted, so can be sniffed.<br><br>The specific data gathered (TIMSI) clearly *not* *content*, so not <br>interception under RIPA, if that's what you're thinking of.</div></blockquote><br></div><div>I don't think sniffing random traffic data is legal, however, even if it isn't encrypted. The Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949 S.5(b)(i) would appear to apply:</div><div><br></div><div><blockquote type="cite"><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">Any person who...otherwise than under the authority of the Postmaster General or in the</font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">course of his duty as a servant of the Crown, either--</font></div></blockquote><div><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000"> (i) uses any wireless telegraphy apparatus with intent to obtain information</font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">as to the contents, sender or addressee of any message (whether sent by means</font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">of wireless telegraphy or not) which neither the person using the apparatus nor</font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">any person on whose behalf he is acting is authorised by the Postmaster</font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">General to receive; or</font></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000"> </font></div></blockquote><br></div><div>ian</div></body></html>