Detection of ultrasonic side channels in mobile devices with Python?
Steven D'Aprano
steve+comp.lang.python at pearwood.info
Wed Feb 28 18:51:43 EST 2018
On Thu, 01 Mar 2018 08:54:52 +1100, Chris Angelico wrote:
> But this part sounds like prime quality tinfoil hat material:
>
>> Tell me how exactly ultrasonic side channels may activate remotely
>> specific neural pathways implicated in aggressivity and how to block
>> theses specific side channels from neuromodulating human behavior.
I wouldn't entirely rule it out. (On the other hand, I wouldn't give it
much credence in the absence of solid evidence either.) I'm too lazy to
google it right now, but I recall that there's definitely evidence for
inaudible *subsonic* frequencies being able to affect human emotions,
mostly to induce feelings of disquiet and nameless dread.
I recall a panel of US scientists in the 1980s trying to work out how to
protect long-lived nuclear waste from inquisitive humans for periods of
many millions of years. Obviously Keep Out signs aren't going to do the
job, so one of the ideas they were tossing around was to surround the
area in artificial rock carved into shapes which would generate the
appropriate subsonic frequencies when the wind blew.
Of course it is only a matter of time before malware, spyware, adware and
hostile-national-security-ware[1] takes advantage of ultrasonic side
channels to screw us over however they can. Including the US government.
But I think the idea that the mobile phone manufacturers *intentionally*
built phones with this capability in order to give the US government the
ability to weaponise people's phones against them is sheer nuttiness.
[1] In the current political climate, I think it is safe to say that
nearly all national security ware is hostile, and every one of us are the
targets.
--
Steve
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