From Newsgroup: alt.internet.wireless

Given almost everyone hiking has a cellphone with them, nowadays...

Interestingly, the news is reporting that the canyon searchers have
scanners for bluetooth radio, where I looked up some of the details.
*Local authorities will use drone to scan for Bluetooth frequencies in park*
<https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/31/us/live-news/arizona-grand-canyon-flooding?post-id=cmti01qle000b356rtp24zdlf>
"A Maricopa County Sheriffos Office drone will be used tomorrow
to scan for any devices emitting Bluetooth frequencies in
Grand Canyon National Park, according to Coconino County Sheriff
Bret Axlund."

*How a scenic enclave at the bottom of the Grand Canyon turned into a epicenter of deadly destruction*
<https://kesq.com/news/national-world/cnn-national/2026/09/01/how-a-scenic-enclave-at-the-bottom-of-the-grand-canyon-turned-into-an-epicenter-of-deadly-destruction/>
"A drone from the Maricopa County Sheriffos Office will also be used
to scan for devices emitting Bluetooth frequencies, officials said."

This article explains what they "can" use to find survivors or equipment.
*Drone-mounted signal detection gives rescuers a faster way*
*to find missing persons*
<https://www.police1.com/police-products/search-and-rescue/drone-mounted-signal-detection-gives-rescuers-a-faster-way-to-find-missing-persons>
"BlueFly detects low-power Bluetooth and Wi-Fi signals from devices,
giving ground teams real-time location insight through TAK mapping"

Apparently in the Grand Canyon, Bluetooth works well due to the active
beacon, and even if a smartphone battery is "dead", the BT beacon may still
be working, and BT is also in earbuds, smartwatches, medical sensors, and,
of course, luggage/wallet tags.

Many bluetooth devices can't easily be turned off, so they'd still be
active, while cellular and Wi-Fi, by contrast, are probably turned off.

And dead people, trapped in a sudden flood, don't have time in general, to activate satellite transceivers, which is why BT scanning is used most.

They're also checking license plates, apparently.
*Rangers checked license plates across park to find unaccounted-for people after floods*
<https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/31/us/live-news/arizona-grand-canyon-flooding>
"Rangers used the Grand Canyon National Parkos permit system to
dwindle down the number of unaccounted-for people after the deadly
flash floods in the park over the weekend. They made numerous calls
and checked license plates across the North and South Rim of the
park to reach each permit holder."
--
Sometimes you learn what to do only after others haven't done it.
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.internet.wireless

Maria Sophia wrote:

Given almost everyone hiking has a cellphone with them, nowadays...

Interestingly, the news is reporting that the canyon searchers have
scanners for bluetooth radio, where I looked up some of the details.
*Local authorities will use drone to scan for Bluetooth frequencies in park*
<https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/31/us/live-news/arizona-grand-canyon-flooding?post-id=cmti01qle000b356rtp24zdlf>
"A Maricopa County Sheriffro4 Office drone will be used tomorrow
to scan for any devices emitting Bluetooth frequencies in
Grand Canyon National Park, according to Coconino County Sheriff
Bret Axlund."

The boot is on the other foot using exactly the same technology. Cheap counter-surveillance using ESP32 to detect body-worn cameras, map Flock
ANPR cameras, identify drones ...

<https://youtu.be/PcK-TDmzshc>

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.internet.wireless

Andy Burns wrote:

The boot is on the other foot using exactly the same technology. Cheap counter-surveillance using ESP32 to detect body-worn cameras, map Flock
ANPR cameras, identify drones ...

<https://youtu.be/PcK-TDmzshc>

Hi Andy,

I would agree flock cameras (and similar privacy-invading technology) is invasive, mainly because we don't know exactly where they are and we don't consent to be photographed, recorded, downloaded, and kept watch over.
<https://i.postimg.cc/J09x7q1W/vela01.jpg>

That's why I liked the beta FOSS Vela Maps which replaces Google Maps and
which has real-time Google Traffic & POIs but it also has flock cameras!
<https://github.com/PimpinPumpkin/Vela/releases/latest>

Vela is a brand new FOSS 1:1 full replacement for the Google Maps app.
<https://i.postimg.cc/kgZTT7r8/flock-sf.jpg>
But that's only for flock cameras, where your solution is all such devices!

This is your URL, for others to benefit from, who haven't clicked it.
*DEF CON 34 - ESP32 as counter-surveillance platform*
*Cybertiger, Colonel Panic, The Wrew*
<https://youtu.be/PcK-TDmzshc>
Privacy should be accessible to all. Historically, counter-surveillance
tools have been expensive, complex, and inaccessible to most individuals,
often limited to well-funded researchers and costly hardware
configurations. The ESP32 offers a transformative alternative.
This presentation will demonstrate how an affordable microcontroller
has become the foundation for a growing suite of open-source,
user-friendly anti-surveillance tools. We will discuss the technical
features that make the ESP32 a compelling choice for these applications,
including passive 802.11 and Bluetooth monitoring, OUI-based device
fingerprinting, and robust cryptographic capabilities.
Applications include detecting police body cameras in operational
environments, mapping Flock Safety automatic license plate recognition
(ALPR) infrastructure, identifying unauthorized drones, detecting radio
frequency jamming across 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and cellular bands, and tracking
autonomous robots operating with known-vulnerable firmware.
These tools are cost-effective and freely available.
We will also consider future developments in accessible
counter-surveillance hardware, such as the ESP32-S5 with 5GHz support,
GPS, displays, haptics, etc. Advancing anti-surveillance culture requires
designing devices that individuals are motivated to use and carry.

Looking up free online full-transcript generators for your URL, I find:
Tactiq (tactiq.io/tools/youtube-transcript)
YouTube to Transcript (youtubetotranscript.com)
NoteGPT (notegpt.io/youtube-transcript-generator)

The way I find flock cameras in my area, but not in real time, is a
combination of these web sites I have tied to the Win+R keyword "flock".
https://kiosk.atlasofsurveillance.org/search
https://alprmaps.com/flock-safety-map
https://deflocktheusa.com/the-map/
https://simeononsecurity.com/articles/flock-finder-alpr-surveillance-mapping-tool/

I agree these privacy-invading 24/7/365 surveillance cameras are a problem.
--
Of a million things people should know about privacy, most know 3.
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