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Crystal G



Registered: 06/05/07
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Can Police Look Up Text Messages You've Sent With Only Your Phone Number?
#19130085 - 11/13/13 05:45 AM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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I'm just curious, can police look up text messages that you sent without having your actual phone, but only your phone number? And if so, how do they do it? Like what technology do they use?
And under what legal circumstances can they do it? If they call me into questioning and they make me write down my phone number in a form, do they have the right to look up text messages I've sent? Or if there is no warrant against me, would I need to give express consent for them to search through the history of my text messages? What if they are investigating me, but there is no warrant or proof thatI have done anything wrong?
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Konyap

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Re: Can Police Look Up Text Messages You've Sent With Only Your Phone Number? [Re: Crystal G]
#19130095 - 11/13/13 05:48 AM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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they can arrange a sting definitely but then again you are giving them probabl cause too
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Aircooled
Litre-A-Cola



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Re: Can Police Look Up Text Messages You've Sent With Only Your Phone Number? [Re: Konyap]
#19130108 - 11/13/13 05:59 AM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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They could subpoena your phone company as a means to gather information to use as evidence to obtain a warrant.
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"Jack thought it twice and thought that that had made it true. Some brains just work that way, that's what chemicals can do." BTS
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Prisoner#1
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Re: Can Police Look Up Text Messages You've Sent With Only Your Phone Number? [Re: Crystal G] 2
#19130124 - 11/13/13 06:07 AM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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they can subpoena the texts from your service provider, yes, the texts are stored on their servers
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TrentBoyett
Aspiring Mycologist



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Re: Can Police Look Up Text Messages You've Sent With Only Your Phone Number? [Re: Aircooled]
#19130136 - 11/13/13 06:13 AM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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Do they have any evidence against you? I don't think they can just randomly get your phone records without having any evidence of wrong-doing on your part, but idk.
But yeah, they can look them up with just your number/name.
Phone companies usually store them for like 2-6 weeks if I'm remembering correctly.
I think they just call the phone company and say we have a subpoena for so and so's phone records(they may even fax the company the subpoena, idk how it works exactly), blah, blah, blah... then the phone company gives 'em the records.
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Aircooled
Litre-A-Cola



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Re: Can Police Look Up Text Messages You've Sent With Only Your Phone Number? [Re: Prisoner#1]
#19130137 - 11/13/13 06:14 AM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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The saving grace though is that texts are not stored on the company servers for long periods of time.
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"Jack thought it twice and thought that that had made it true. Some brains just work that way, that's what chemicals can do." BTS
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Shroomism
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Re: Can Police Look Up Text Messages You've Sent With Only Your Phone Number? [Re: Aircooled] 1
#19130290 - 11/13/13 08:07 AM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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The NSA servers however is a different story
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JMcDoogle
A Serious Scholar


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Re: Can Police Look Up Text Messages You've Sent With Only Your Phone Number? [Re: Shroomism] 1
#19130300 - 11/13/13 08:16 AM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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No, the answer is no.
But that answer is for a child.
In todays age, there is no such thing as privacy.
We've done this to ourselves.
Watch us burn.
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The ego is nothing other than the focus of conscious attention.
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psi
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Re: Can Police Look Up Text Messages You've Sent With Only Your Phone Number? [Re: JMcDoogle]
#19130380 - 11/13/13 08:55 AM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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Yeah it's probably safest to assume that no network communications are private. If you're having conversations about illegal activities that you think law enforcement might actually care about, it's probably smartest to have them in person.
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mindgnome
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Re: Can Police Look Up Text Messages You've Sent With Only Your Phone Number? [Re: JMcDoogle]
#19130383 - 11/13/13 08:56 AM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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If they have probable cause they can look at text messages I believe. Texting is a very stupid thing to do if you are selling. You definitely want to stick to calling. If you are just buying weed to smoke through text or whatever they probably wouldn't even look into it or care, but if you are in a small town in bumfuck nowhere that might be different.
-------------------- "As I walk on through troubled times my spirit gets so downhearted sometimes so where are the strong and who are the trusted? And where is the harmony? Sweet harmony. Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry. What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?" - Nick Lowe "Psychedelic drugs don't change you - they don't change your character - unless you want to be changed. They enable change; they can't impose it...” - Sasha Shulgin
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modern.shaman
San Mescalito




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Re: Can Police Look Up Text Messages You've Sent With Only Your Phone Number? [Re: mindgnome]
#19130462 - 11/13/13 09:28 AM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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Get a burn phone
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Alan Rockefeller
Mycologist

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Re: Can Police Look Up Text Messages You've Sent With Only Your Phone Number? [Re: Crystal G]
#19130610 - 11/13/13 10:15 AM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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Yes, they can look up your text messages without going into your phone.
I think there was a court decision awhile back that said that you do not have an expectation of privacy in your text messages, so they do not need a warrant or any kind of judicial approval.
They have a special website that the carrier provides that they can go to to track peoples phones and read text messages. They can also send a subpoena for that information.
It is much harder for police to tap voice calls than it is to get text messages. If you must talk about something sensitive over the phone, use voice.
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Alan Rockefeller
Mycologist

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Re: Can Police Look Up Text Messages You've Sent With Only Your Phone Number? (moved) [Re: Crystal G]
#19130611 - 11/13/13 10:15 AM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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This thread was moved from The Pub.
Reason: Fits better here
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Alan Rockefeller
Mycologist

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Re: Can Police Look Up Text Messages You've Sent With Only Your Phone Number? (moved) [Re: Crystal G]
#19130612 - 11/13/13 10:15 AM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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This thread was moved from Security and Safety.
Reason: Fits better here
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Mush4Brains
LOOL HACKED!!!

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Re: Can Police Look Up Text Messages You've Sent With Only Your Phone Number? [Re: JMcDoogle]
#19131419 - 11/13/13 01:54 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
JMcDoogle said: No, the answer is no.
But that answer is for a child.
In todays age, there is no such thing as privacy.
We've done this to ourselves.
Watch us burn.
Woah, woah, woah, woah.
Who is we?
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TrentBoyett
Aspiring Mycologist



Registered: 11/29/12
Posts: 16,000
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Re: Can Police Look Up Text Messages You've Sent With Only Your Phone Number? [Re: Alan Rockefeller]
#19131840 - 11/13/13 03:36 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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How the fuck can they say you don't have an expectation of privacy with text messages?
That's fucked up, I definitely expect my text messages to stay private, it's not a twitter feed, it's something that a person privately sends to another person.
How can they say you don't have an expectation of privacy with that? They must literally be retarded, or think we are.
Does that mean that no form of written media is considered to be private? Even private letters? They're essentially the same thing.
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Crystal G



Registered: 06/05/07
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Loc: outer space
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Re: Can Police Look Up Text Messages You've Sent With Only Your Phone Number? [Re: Mush4Brains]
#19131850 - 11/13/13 03:38 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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Well, the reason that I ask is because I have a chance to do contracting work with one of the local police departments in another county. It pays a lot so I don't want to turn it down. They did say that as per routine protocol, they will look into my background. They think that I'm a good person and do not have any reason to suspect I am involved in any activity they might disapprove of. Actually I haven't done anything illegal in quite a long time, but I periodically do send texts between friends who are still doing illegal things (and we do talk about those things). But they don't know that at this point. So I am wondering how far they will go in the background investigation.
I just need to know if in this case they will only do a legal background check and drug test and credit check, or if they will also look at my phone activity. Cause if they do, I'm just going to buy a new phone line and give them that number.
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Alan Rockefeller
Mycologist

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Re: Can Police Look Up Text Messages You've Sent With Only Your Phone Number? [Re: Crystal G]
#19131859 - 11/13/13 03:41 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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A background check will not look at your phone activity. They basically google search your name and check police records. How thorough of a check they do depends on how much they pay, however if you have not been busted then you'll almost surely pass.
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ch1ck3n.s0up
Troubled Loner



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Re: Can Police Look Up Text Messages You've Sent With Only Your Phone Number? [Re: Prisoner#1]
#19132236 - 11/13/13 05:24 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
Prisoner#1 said: they can subpoena the texts from your service provider, yes, the texts are stored on their servers
Subpoena? . In reality, if the police make a request, the phone companies usually give them what they want, subpoena or not.
In other words, yes, Yes, YES, hell yes, and , they can see all your communications without your phone.
Edited by ch1ck3n.s0up (11/13/13 05:29 PM)
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Enlil
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Re: Can Police Look Up Text Messages You've Sent With Only Your Phone Number? [Re: Crystal G]
#19132634 - 11/13/13 06:53 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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They can get whatever is stored without a warrant. They just need a subpoena.
Having said that, text messages are generally not kept very long. I have had very limited success getting texts with a subpoena. Different carriers have different policies, but I've never gotten texts more than a month or two old from any carrier.
-------------------- Censoring opposing views since 2014. Ask an Attorney Fuck the Amish
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