ST Alpha - "How does that help?" (Reading a Post)

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In response to "SITWAP: NYPD looks at ways to disrupt cell phones in case of a terrorist attack. -- (link)" by TaurusII

How does that help?

Posted by Beryllium (aka grayman) Jan 9 '09, 08:26

While coordination is nice, cutting off communication won't necessarily impact the execution of guerrilla tactics. All it will do is make it harder for people in the fray to communicate and coordinate their response.

Responses:

They Mumbai attacks were coordinate in real time by cell phone. -- nm - TWuG Jan 9, 08:27 12
- oh, well, clearly we should ban all cellphones then. ;-) My position is that communication is inherently necessary to deal with incidents like that. - Beryllium Jan 9, 08:31 11
  - I disagree. The upside of allowing the public to communicate over cell phones during an attack is way outweighed by - TWuG Jan 9, 08:34 3
    - Pfffft... scenes of mass panic are fun! -- nm - Cuzzin Todd Jan 9, 08:43
    - it's not like people couldn't trigger bombs remotely before cell phones. - mafic Jan 9, 08:38 1
      - Cell phones make it easier. Doesn't require line of sight or being nearby with some other type of transmitter. Timers aren't as reliable. -- nm - TWuG Jan 9, 08:42
  - I disagree. Unless you are KSUTH, all you can do is make matters worse. - Spawn Jan 9, 08:33 6
    - *shrug* You can still provide intel, even staying out of the way. -- nm - Beryllium Jan 9, 08:35 5
      - Just what the authorities need, hundreds of calls from citizens during a crisis. -- nm - Spawn Jan 9, 08:36 4
        
        Think back to 9/11. A truck bomb supposedy hit a Federal building. Planes over Ohio were supposedly part of the attack. - TWuG Jan 9, 08:41 1
        
        And disrupting New York calls would have still allowed those calls to happen. -- nm - Spawn Jan 9, 08:43
        
        it's not like the 911 operators have another job to do. they're basically emergency services call screeners. -- nm - mafic Jan 9, 08:39 1
        
        Screening 100 calls is much different than screening 1000 calls or 10,000 calls. They sure as hell don't need to be - TWuG Jan 9, 08:44
erm, let me rephrase the first sentence: - Beryllium Jan 9, 08:27 17
- there's also the fact that nefarious devices can be triggered via cell phone - znufrii Jan 9, 08:28 16
  - or anything that can send a signal. -- nm - mafic Jan 9, 08:35 6
    - Part of the point is that it is the easiest asset for them to use without drawing notice. -- nm - Spawn Jan 9, 08:37 5
      - so the ease of detonating bombs remotely has now gone from unbelievably easy to just incredibly easy. -- nm - mafic Jan 9, 08:42 4
        
        If you see a guy holding a detonator, you kinda know what is up. - Spawn Jan 9, 08:44 3
        
        how about a car alarm remote? -- nm - mafic Jan 9, 08:49 1
        
        Requires proximity. A guy in SF can remotely cset off a bomb anywhere in the world using a cell phone. -- nm - TWuG Jan 9, 08:52
        
        I want my phone call. -- nm - The Joker Jan 9, 08:48
  - Hrm. Yes, that's true. So this plan would help mitigate the risk of a movie-style plot with manually-sequenced detonations. - Beryllium Jan 9, 08:34 6
    - Landlines would still be active. -- nm - Spawn Jan 9, 08:40 2
      - which is really great for the people who don't have one. -- nm - znufrii Jan 9, 08:43 1
        
        I have little sympathy for those people. -- nm - Spawn Jan 9, 09:01
    - You use "movie style dismissively. Remember that a TV episode showed to potential for a commercial jet being flown into the WTC as did at least one - TWuG Jan 9, 08:38 2
      - problem is that it's at best reactive. things have already gone haywire once the network goes down. - mafic Jan 9, 08:48 1
        
        Walkie talkies require proximity. The Mumbai attack was directed from Pakistan through cell phones. -- nm - TWuG Jan 9, 08:53
  - Like Domino's. - Cuzzin Todd Jan 9, 08:30 1
    - Word. -- nm - znufrii Jan 9, 08:30
Alternate communication sources would be utilized. Police radio, etc. -- nm - Spawn Jan 9, 08:27 2
- So ... you buy that citizens don't deserve the right to communicate with each other in a crisis? - Beryllium Jan 9, 08:29 1
  - Agreed, for that type of attack. - Spawn Jan 9, 08:31

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