Is anyone listening in?

Calls on analog mobile phones used to be easy to listen in on. All that was needed was a scanner that works on the appropriate frequencies, available from high street stores for less than £200.

Digital phones aren't anything like as easy to monitor. Although it is theoretically possible to listen in to calls off-air, the technology required is formidable, and there is no way that a member of the public can get access to it.

Nowadays, if someone wants to "tap" a call to or from a mobile, they'll have to monitor the other end, or get the network to help them.

There are other aspects of privacy, though. Using your mobile phone gives callers direct access to you, whether you want it or not. Use your mobile for a work-related call, and you run the risk of getting a call back on your weekend off!

Because the mobile network tracks the approximate position of every mobile (see the How It Works section for details), and has a very good idea of where a mobile is during any call, a mobile user's location can be worked out from the records.

This would not be an easy task, so it's not going to be used to trace the holder of an overdue library book! In practice, you leave a trail wherever you go, through credit card records, cash dispenser logs and the like, which are all easier to trace you with.

In practice, the police and security forces make many requests for information from the records kept by mobile phone networks, but they are charged for this information and tend only to request it for serious crimes or high-profile investigations.

Mobiles allow you to make and receive calls where ever you are, but sometimes this can lead you into talking in public when you'd prefer to keep the conversation confidential. Be aware of bystanders who may be listening in.

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