Your Cell Phone Can Mark You as a Criminal, Ukraine Protest Division

Alarming news from the Ukraine protest scene,
via the New York Times:

The Ukrainian government used telephone technology to pinpoint
the locations of cellphones in use near clashes between riot police
officers and protesters early on Tuesday….

People near the fighting between riot police and protesters
received a text message shortly after midnight saying “Dear
subscriber, you are registered as a participant in a mass
disturbance.”

The phrasing echoed language in a new law making participation
in a protest deemed violent a crime punishable by imprisonment. The
law took effect on Tuesday.

This law and a package of other legislation passed by
pro-government political parties in Parliament appeared modeled on
rules in neighboring Russia, which has pioneered the coordination
of legislation tightening rules on free speech and public assembly
with technological capabilities….

Prepare for an American future of texts like “you are entering a
known prostitution/drug dealing zone”? “You appear to be gathered
together with other readers of this terrorist-supporting web site”?
“You appear to be gathered together with other raw milk
enthusiasts/tax protesters”? Remember “metadata”? It’s useful
stuff! (That is, content of communications is not needed for
government to try awful things with their surveillance.)

Ronald Bailey wrote a January 2013 feature for Reason
that you must read on “Your
Cell Phone is Spying on You.”

Hat tip: David Krueger