The Federal Communications Commission has confirmed that it is currently investigating Amazon and other retailers for their suspected involvement in the marketing and sale of wireless signal jammer, as disclosed on Wednesday.
In the United States, it is illegal to use, sell, or advertise wireless devices that are specifically designed to block or interfere with signals from other legal electronic products, like cell phones and GPS devices, to consumers.
The FCC's spokesperson, Will Wiquist, publicly acknowledged that the agency is conducting several investigations on retailers, including Amazon, for possible violations of Commission rules related to the marketing and sale of devices without proper FCC authorization.
NBC News has revealed that some online retailers and drone technology companies are exploiting federal laws by selling RF signal jammers for sale as tools to deter drones or protect privacy. This allows them to bypass the ban on selling such devices within the country.
Amazon did not immediately reply to a request for comment from Reuters.
A recent investigation by NBC has brought to light that nine Chinese sellers on Amazon, along with three on eBay, were found to be selling devices known as "jammers." These devices can be used to block drones, disable security cameras, and disrupt Wi-Fi networks.
Several online retailers and drone technology companies are advertising RF jammers as tools for deterring drones or protecting privacy, bypassing federal laws that prohibit the sale of such devices in the United States.
Rf jammers are devices that interfere with communication systems, usually by sending competing radio signals to confuse nearby electronics. It's a decades-old technology that federal regulators have been trying to crack down on, but interest in jammers persists because people can use them to avoid unwanted drones, disable security cameras or block Wi-Fi networks.
The Federal Communications Commission emphasized on its website that these interfering devices pose a significant risk to public safety and can disrupt other radio communication services.
The potential uses of jamming devices are numerous, including confusing unwanted drones, disrupting Wi-Fi networks, and disabling doorbell cameras. In a Reddit message board focused on Ring doorbell cameras, certain posters expressed dissatisfaction with individuals using jammers to disable the cameras while committing theft to avoid being caught. Interestingly, a Reddit poster highlighted the irony that Amazon appears to benefit from both situations: Ring is a part of Amazon, and Amazon also serves as a marketplace for purchasing devices that could potentially disable Ring's cameras.
Despite being queried about the issue, Amazon has chosen not to provide any response regarding potential interference with Ring devices.
Discussions about RF blockers, also known as jammers, are frequently found in online forums where individuals share their beliefs of being targeted for extensive surveillance by the government or other entities, a phenomenon often referred to as "gang stalking."
GPS disrupters are reminiscent of the eerie Bermuda Triangle, giving rise to all sorts of mysteries and confusions. Are these disrupters legal, precise, and secure? These peculiar questions left individuals dumbfounded.
The majority of field service representatives are aware of the regulations and penalties associated with using GPS interceptor applications to manipulate their location or create false driving logs. Some delivery drivers are opting to use GPS blockers without concern for the legal repercussions. Who is morally correct in this situation?
GPS jammers are hardware devices that intentionally interfere with GPS signals to disrupt or hinder accurate location tracking and navigation. By emitting RF signals, they can block or overpower legitimate GPS signals within their operational range, causing inaccuracies or service outages.
8 GPS Jammer errors
GPS jammers are legal to use
GPS jammers are only legally used for personal privacy or security reasons and for navigation systems or emergency services. But there is a limit. However, their use is often illegal in many countries because they can damage critical infrastructure such as navigation systems and emergency services.
Their use is not harmful
Many people believe that GPS jammers only affect a user's own GPS signal and do not interrupt other people's signals. But the truth is, they can interfere with GPS signals from multiple nearby users. Ultimately causing potential harm or inconvenience to people nearby.
GPS jammers are for the rich only
- GPS jammers are cheap on sites like eBay. Anyone can buy them for $50. Yes, you don't have to be rich to get these blockers. Their reasonable price range poses a serious threat to modern vehicles and mobile devices with integrated GPS hardware.
These signal jamming device are easy to buy and install, putting GPS dependent navigation systems at great risk.
It is not illegal to install jamming devices that claim to block only any vehicle's GPS signal.
- It is illegal to sell or operate any blocking device that interferes with or emits RF signals to block GPS signals in states such as the United States. However, their use is exceptional in cases where the number of government- approved uses is limited.
Given that GPS jammers are deceptive and interfere with navigation and position tracking needs, it's best not to do the following two things:
Cell interference The use of devices to interfere with radio or wireless signals.
In some burglaries, thieves have figured out how to use technology to evade surveillance cameras.
This is called cellular interference, and it happens when a person uses a device to interfere with radio or wireless signals.
According to the FCC, "The use of telephone mobile jammers , gps blocker interceptors, or other signal jamming devices designed to intentionally block, interfere with, or interfere with authorized radio communications violates federal law." There are no exemptions for use in businesses, classrooms, homes or vehicles."
Cell interference may occur with devices or home cameras approximately 30 feet from the intended target.
Video from the south Charlotte neighborhood showed a suspect crawling across the yard at night, but not all of the incidents were caught on camera.
"Any time you have a wireless device, whether it's on Wi-Fi and so on, you know people are going to find a way - how to jam it, how to try to stop something from communicating," said John Shocknesse, vice president of security customer operations at CPI.
Within moments, someone can be seen on the camera, but with cellular interference, with the flick of a switch or the press of a button, that person disappears, or nothing is recorded.
The CMPD says the problem has occurred in some burglaries in South Charlotte.
"We haven't seen any of this activity, so it's most important that we're aware of it and make sure we have the best technology and the latest technology," Shocknesse said.
WBTV asked him which devices are more susceptible to cell phone interference.
"I think where it comes into play is with some older wireless devices that don't have encryption," Shocknesse said.
Newer security and monitoring systems have better encryption and are more secure, he said.
"I really don't think we can emphasize enough the importance of having cameras and some on-board recording," Shocknesse said. "The cameras we put there have storage devices on them, so even if something goes wrong, you can still record what's going on and you can take it to the police station."
Complementing this advice, he said the best solution to prevent cell phone interference is to adopt the latest encryption technology and wired devices instead of Wi-Fi.
As for preventing break-ins, following a few simple tips, such as maintaining good lighting, turning on an alarm system, and trimming bushes to no higher than three feet, may be effective.
The NFL and federal law enforcement are on high alert for unauthorized drones after one caused a play stoppage at a playoff game two weeks ago.
Super Bowl LVIII will feature a tough defensive scheme that has nothing to do with a football. This one is about stopping drones.
The NFL and federal law enforcement officials are taking a hard line Sunday to keep players and fans safe from unauthorized drones at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas where the Kansas City Chiefs will play the San Francisco 49ers.
Unapproved drone flights have become a persistent problem for the NFL, as well as for other sports leagues and large public gatherings. The NFL said there were about 2,500 drone incursions near stadiums during the 2022-2023 season, an increase of about 90% from a year earlier.
The flights have sometimes encroached on televised broadcasts, including two weeks ago at the AFC championship game in Baltimore when an unapproved drone violated the restricted airspace. Federal prosecutors later charged a Pennsylvania drone pilot who said, according to the FBI, that he wasn’t aware of the flight restrictions.
Possible criminal charges and civil penalties await anyone trying something similar Sunday, officials said.
“So please leave your drone at home,” Cathy Lanier, the NFL’s chief security officer, said at a news conference Wednesday.
Most of the drones are operated by hobbyists seeking aerial video, according to experts, but especially at a high-profile event such as the Super Bowl, authorities said they’re also looking out for people with more nefarious intentions.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the incident two weeks ago was a warning.
“It does not require much imagination to understand the significant threat such an incident could pose,” he said at the news conference Wednesday. Although no one was hurt in that incident, he said, “what happened in Baltimore underscores the vital importance of the mission.”
Mayorkas added that there were no known credible specific threats to the Super Bowl or Las Vegas.
Federal law enforcement designates the Super Bowl as a top-tier security event, on roughly the same level as a presidential inauguration ceremony or a visit by the pope. Allegiant Stadium, where the teams will play, has a capacity of about 65,000 people.
Any stadium’s defense against drones has multiple layers, said Mary-Lou Smulders, chief marketing officer for Dedrone, a Virginia-based company. Its drone countermeasure technology is in use by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, which covers Las Vegas and its major stadiums.
“Like any security issue, the more layers you add, the safer you are,” she said. “The same applies to airspace security.”
The first layers, she said, are all designed to detect and track drones using at least three types of technology: radio-frequency sensors, cameras and radar. They have different strengths, she added: Radio-frequency sensors can distinguish between drones and other objects better than radar, while radar has a longer range and a camera can help determine if a drone is carrying a payload.
With a camera, Smulders said, “the most interesting thing to ask is: Is it carrying a payload, yes or no?” If it were, that “would dramatically affect your security posture.”
A second set of layers is designed to interfere with a drone’s flight, she said: “cell phone jammer jamming” or cutting off the radio communication between a drone and its pilot; hacking into a drone to take over control; and locating the pilot on the ground and arresting the person.
drone jammer Jamming and hacking are not usually available as security tools for an NFL game. Federal law restricts who can interfere with a drone’s flight, and in the United States, only a few government agencies including the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI have the authority to do so. Congress is considering legislation to change that but, for now, the federal government provides agents for high-profile events like the Super Bowl but not for a game on any given Sunday.
At a regular season game in Baltimore in November, play was delayed twice because of drone activity.
The NFL game stoppages are helping raise the profile of drone countermeasures, a growing industry that experts say will become more important as drone technology improves and becomes cheaper.
Allegiant Stadium has one advantage over Baltimore’s: It’s a domed stadium, with a roof to shield the game from anything overhead. But it’s not completely enclosed, Smulders noted: The stadium has 80-foot walls that are retractable if weather allows. The doors have usually been closed during games.
Still, the NFL is on higher alert for drones than it used to be. In 2017, a California man used a modified drone to drop leaflets on the 49ers stadium, authorities said. He then drove to nearby Oakland and did the same at a Raiders game. He later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation.
For Sunday, the Federal Aviation Administration has banned drones within a radius of 30 nautical miles (about 35 miles) of the stadium beginning one hour before kickoff. There have also been restrictions in place for additional events in Las Vegas the past few days.
Lanier has previously told NBC News that the NFL had a close call at the Super Bowl in Atlanta in February 2019, when an FBI team spotted a drone just before six Air Force F-16s were set to conduct a flyover before the game. The F-16s flew at a higher altitude to avoid a possible collision, she said.
Authorities with the Los Angeles Police Department are warning residents in Los Angeles’ Wilshire-area neighborhoods of a series of burglaries involving wifi jamming technology that can disarm surveillance cameras and alarms using a wireless signal.
According to police, the burglaries typically involve three to four suspects who enter homes through a second story balcony.
Once inside, the thieves target primary bedrooms in search of high-end jewelry, purses, U.S. currency and other valuables.
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“On many occasions, these suspects will have a getaway vehicle and driver to act as a look out,” authorities said in a community alert.
To deter these types of burglaries, authorities provided the following tips:
Anyone with information on any of these crimes is encouraged to contact LAPD’s Wilshire Burglary Detectives at Wilshireburglary@lapd.online. Those wishing to remain anonymous can contact L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or online at L.A. Crime Stoppers.