Government Technology Read a Monitor From a distance?

[Wilson Cook 0]

Hey,I've heard this a few times from my real life computer geek friends, so I am starting to wonder if it's true. Does the government have a tool that can read whats on a monitor up to two miles away by intercepting signals?

[Cerebral Stasis 0]

Uh, yeah. It's called binoculars.Seriously, though, unless one looks at a monitor, one cannot see what's being projected from, for example, outside the building (unless one looks through a window, of course). Monitors release a very small amount of radiation (CRTs do, anyway), and a fairly large amount of heat. That's about it. One cannot reassemble such random outputs into a perfect image of what the screen was showing.

[dontmaimyourself 0]

Uh, yeah. It's called binoculars.

Damn you beat me to that one.

any way what does it matter if the governement can read whats on your monitor any way, what is it you're hiding? Its more likely that they have cameras in your home then they are detecting the rediculously low radiation. But if it really bothers you, you can always break out the old tin foil hats. It doesn't really matter any way there are plenty of other easier ways to find out what you are doing, they probably have satalites watching you right now, for all you know your family may be spies. In short this technology may be highly unlikely but that doesn't mean there aren't other ways of spying on your computing habits, for all you know they could be intercepting your brain waves and interpereting them into thoughts..... *reaches for tinfoil hat*

[Madkat-Z 0]

Uh, yeah. It's called binoculars.

I didn't know they made binoculars that saw up to 2 miles away.

Back to the point. My question why would the govement want to look at your monitor anyway? When after all the time and money they would waste on making a device that could, they could of invailded the hard drive and taken all the files that you have.

[Laos 0]

There is no such thing as Government Technologythe government buys technology, but never created anything really itselfthey sponsor departments that specialize in certain programs, NASA for example is a government FUNDED operation, but isnt a branch of italong with the tons of other cool equipment the CIA uses, its built by companies who they sell it to, never do they have their own goons building high-tech radars

[amhso 0]

doesnt matter dont stray too off the topic. i agree with a few above that there are more likely hidden cameras to monitor people than far away. but i guess maybe this is useful if they are in foreign countries.

[gaea 0]

As other people have pointed out, the technoligy is highly highly unlikely to exist.

If the goverment wants to get info off your computer they usually use keyloggers (they make hardware ones about the length of a dime that plug in between your keyboard and your computer)...or if they don't want to be discrete about it they just seize the computer and crack it.

Satalites, on the other hand, are a real invasion of privacy. We have lens so powerful now that, if you're laying outside reading a book they can read the words off the page (ofcourse this only applies if the weather is fairly clear...cloud cover or smoke will deffinatly stop it). Pretty crazy stuff. Learned about it when I went to the Rochester Institute of Technology for a bit...they create most of the lenses used in US spy sattalites.

Edited June 6, 2006 by gaea (see edit history)

[FLaKes 0]

I dont think they would read the actual screen of the computer, but instead they would acces the computer through a network on something, and then they could be looking at your information.

[wild20 0]

Lol. Nice Cerebral Stasis. I like that one. The government does have technology. I know they made cameras taht can count the holes on a salt and pepper shaker. from like 30,000 feet in the air. Now I call that amazing technology, but it is old news. Now we have the technology put cameras inside LCD screens without the user knowing it. Freaky? Yeah! And I am sure the government uses it too. They sell cameras now that fit on the tip of your fingertip, they are suppose to be the smallest camera in the world and are about the size of a dime, with the camera lens about the size of a pin head. And that is available to the public. Yeah, there is awesome technology out there, but I don't think you can intercept a monitor signal. There is no signal being sent from the moitor to read. You would have to tap the lines. All I can say is, technology usage is on the rise, and you can be sure the government is trying to stay ahead of everyone else. Their job is suppose to be to protect us, so they need it.

[Janissary 0]

But there is a device reads keyboard signals from a few meters away...

[unicornrose 0]

I had to take a moment to consider this topic because well there are alot of things that maybe alot of you are unaware of. First of all some companies have special software that they put on their company computers to keep track of where and what their employees do on the computer. Including keystrokes. Another thing is there are actual types of software that many businesses are employing that will allow the company to teach via the web a business partner how to use a web portal or something by sharing a desktop or something. Anyway if its possible to see what the other person is seeing or doing in that kind of software its not too far fetched that the government can see what your doing on your monitor about two miles away. Its very possible to put a device on the computer that will reroute a small enough amount of info so that you would not know that you are being spied on. There are a million possibilities out there.

[Gondero Werkus 0]

Yeah you could have a pair of Binoculars that can see two miles away, obviously the Scope on a Sniper Rifle can see that far away so it would be very easy to make a two lense version of the scope.But as far as Government Technology goes, no the Government never actually makes the stuff but they contract companies to make top secret things like weaponry or vehicles that aren't available to civilians at all whatsoever.

[Arigato 0]

This sounds like another government conspiracy theory. The technology probably does exist to read text from two miles away but that alone wouldn't be enough. You don't use a computer in the middle of nowhere. There are tons of obstacles that would prevent someone from watching your monitor within a two mile radius. You have walls, other houses, trees, etc. If you are paranoid about it just move your monitor away from the windows.

[traff2009 0]

I would be very skeptical of such a claim. For one, 2 miles would introduce plenty of noise. I mean theres a good chance one of your neighbors is looking at stuff on their computes as well. The heat radiation that they're looking for would criss cross. So unless you're out in a very rural area with maybe a traffic light at most, noise would be a huge problem.Another issue would be localization. Sure, even if they could see what you have on your monitor, they would still need to deduce the origin of the signals. That would require at minimum 3 sensors.I don't think the government would bother when it would be just cheaper to get a warrant for your hard drive. Then again, it IS the government. So maybe they WOULD waste billions of dollars on that kind of technology. Who knows?

[georgebaileyster 0]

It is in fact possible to read a screen via the radiation given off but not from that distance. In reality the maximum distance is generaly 50-100m dependant upon many contitions including building type, weather, type of antenna used etc...We used to use this technique to emphasise to city trading houses that having your trading systems on the outside rather than inside a secure room on the internals of the building was not the best idea. Similarly, you can record the keying from someone using the ATM and calculate the pin number before lifting their card but the trade off is for the visualy impaired.