Broadcastify Receives Cease and Desist from Terre Haute, IN City Attorney

[eaf1956]

I still believe that most of the people that show up at the scene of an accident or fire or police activity, are neighborhood folks that hear the sirens and see the flashing red and blue lights go by their windows, and look to see where the emergency is. If its in the next block or around the corner, they will take a walk to the scene to see for themselves.

There's an idea remove the lights and sirens and POLICE decals which identify POLICE cars so that people won't know where they are. I find it interesting that all information about individuals is PUBLIC RECORD and all over the internet, but local officials want to keep their stuff private.

 

[WILSON43]

Poppycock. People have been using scanners to listen to public safety and "showing up" for 40 years. My friends and I used to show up at fires all the time bck in the 70s long before the internet. If the problem was really that far out of hand, scanners would have been banned long ago. Some whacker probably tried to provide his "services" in Terre Haute. It happens. But it's been happening a long time before the Internet.

Any agency that wants to encrypt their traffic can. That's the solution if they're concerned about it.

Maybe Broadcastify should put up a warning notice on the pages with live feeds that says, "don't show up to a public safety event that you hear on this stream; you may get in the way, and will probably face prosecution." Or some such. Nothing wrong with that.

So what "poppycock" are you referring to? The premise of my post, or the lawsuit. By you own words you support my position. If they all encrypt, the scanning hobby is done. Care to elaborate?

Remember "if the streaming gives you a fit, you must encrypt".

 

[WILSON43]

Where does the Constitution, or any case law based on it, grant citizens the right to listen to law enforcement radio dispatches? Hint: it doesn't exist.

Come on man, this is radio 101.

The radio airwaves in the USA are public, controlled by the FCC to avoid frequency pile up mayhem.

Any citizen has the right to monitor anything transmitted over any frequency in the USA. What they do with the transmission or information may be regulated, however, or encrypted.

You are free to monitor the frequency and transmission of a federal agency which is most likely encrypted.

Once the transmission is encrypted. it's game over.

 

[WILSON43]

Lindsay, I believe the authorities are concerned about citizens groups that arrive on scene to monitor the police activity, not as hobbyists, but as a method of making sure fellow citizens are not abused by police officers. These groups usually video record the incidents when they arrive.

This action is seen by LE as interference with their activities. I don't know the legalities involved when this happens.

To me it has less to do with "officer safety" than it has to do with LE wanting to keep citizens in the dark about their own actions.

Speaking of poppycock, this is unadulterated poppycock. As a retired LEO with strong ties to colleagues across the nation, many of whom are radio hobbyists, the number one reason they are concerned with and fed up with streaming has nothing to do with activists. They are concerned with the release of information to the public just after or during a situation.

It is of vital importance to LEO agencies to control the news and release of information. Not to deceive or to hide from the public, but to control the intricate and delicate progress of what may be an ongoing investigation. LEO agencies often use the media to strategically release information to the public to further an investigation and / or the arrest of an actor or actors. Rampant, uncontrolled streaming compromises that effort and removes control of information from the agency.

Wake up folks. This is a bigger problem then the Terre Haute C and D order. Encryption will soon be the norm nationwide.

Anyone wanna buy a 536?

 

[Outerdog]

Speaking of poppycock, this is unadulterated poppycock. As a retired LEO with strong ties to colleagues across the nation, many of whom are radio hobbyists, the number one reason they are concerned with and fed up with streaming has nothing to do with activists. They are concerned with the release of information to the public just after or during a situation.

It is of vital importance to LEO agencies to control the news and release of information. Not to deceive or to hide from the public, but to control the intricate and delicate progress of what may be an ongoing investigation. LEO agencies often use the media to strategically release information to the public to further an investigation and / or the arrest of an actor or actors. Rampant, uncontrolled streaming compromises that effort and removes control of information from the agency.

So officers do not carry cell phones and do not routinely call over the radio to request a landline call? Gotcha.

 

[WILSON43]

Just another quick hypocrisy for you all to chew on....

Many scanner dealers support this website with ad revenue. Certainly, because THEY WANT TO SELL SCANNERS!

Yet, the very same website supports Broadcastify and streaming, resulting in many, many folks using their cell phones and computers to monitor traffic and lieu of spending 4, 5, 6 hundred on a scanner.

Bottom line is I do not listen to streaming, do not stream, and always thought Broadcastify, etc. was a bad idea for this hobby. I hope I am wrong.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

They provide it to the company for free. From the big business philosophy why pay if you can get the labor for free. The city obviously does not want everything they do streamed and easily accessible by just downloading an app and pressing play. I doubt other cities/agencies will bother with sending those kinds of letter. All new P25 systems are very easy to setup encryption and you can have interop with encryption that is no longer a problem anymore.

Most listeners get the benefit of the services for free. There is a cost for the server hardware and maintenance and in the immediate case, a potential cost for legal fees.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

They provide it to the company for free. From the big business philosophy why pay if you can get the labor for free. The city obviously does not want everything they do streamed and easily accessible by just downloading an app and pressing play. I doubt other cities/agencies will bother with sending those kinds of letter. All new P25 systems are very easy to setup encryption and you can have interop with encryption that is no longer a problem anymore.

The weak software encryption that Motorola provides free will not be suitable for interoperability. Agencies that want to encrypt are going to have to determine if AES or DES algo is required to encrypt. Then they will have to purchase and install the appropriate hardware in the console system and all subscribers at about $800 a pop. Their interop neighbors will have to purchase same hardware. Then there is the question of the pricey KMF.

 

[INDY72]

So if the feed goes away (which it did), what is stopping the Meth Dealers from just buying a scanner and continuing to listen in? That is what I don't really get about all the people screaming about feeds, if the criminals really want to listen in, all they need to do is buy/steal a scanner, they don't really need the feeds. Actually, they would get much more info from a scanner because none of the TAC stuff is even broadcast in the feeds.

Then you also must realize THP and others know this also and thus will never go clear again. The reason they go after bcfy is bcfy is the big dog that feeds every phone app there is other than ProScan feeds. Want to hurt a snake cut off head. That is the legal logic. Soon this will get to court level in multiple states and eventually Federal. Then once and for all get settled. But as long as the cop kill crowd is big news and fear is king encryption of everything will grow. Some places now even encrypt transit and school buses to combat suspected terror actions.

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[KK4JUG]

Speaking of poppycock, this is unadulterated poppycock. As a retired LEO with strong ties to colleagues across the nation, many of whom are radio hobbyists, the number one reason they are concerned with and fed up with streaming has nothing to do with activists. They are concerned with the release of information to the public just after or during a situation.

It is of vital importance to LEO agencies to control the news and release of information. Not to deceive or to hide from the public, but to control the intricate and delicate progress of what may be an ongoing investigation. LEO agencies often use the media to strategically release information to the public to further an investigation and / or the arrest of an actor or actors. Rampant, uncontrolled streaming compromises that effort and removes control of information from the agency.

Wake up folks. This is a bigger problem then the Terre Haute C and D order. Encryption will soon be the norm nationwide.

Anyone wanna buy a 536?

I have to agree with you. In my years as a LEO, one of my duties was as a Public Information Officer. The news media has a job to do and, ideally, it's to inform the public and, hopefully, give them what they want to hear. LE agencies have to limit some information lest they end up trying the case in the news media. It's a tremendous financial burden to move a trial to another venue because of prejudicial pre-trial publicity.

Different kind of change of venue: In recent years, I have heard of instances where people post reports of on-going police incidents on Facebook (or others). Some people want to see what's going on and head for the scene. Everything I've heard is anecdotal. I have no personal information. Furthermore, I don't do Facebook (or any of the others). I have a Facebook account that hasn't seen me in at least 5 years and I may have signed on 3 times in its history. In my opinion, it's a concept that's gotten out of hand.

 

[Hans13]

They are concerned with the release of information to the public just after or during a situation.

It is of vital importance to LEO agencies to control the news and release of information. Not to deceive or to hide from the public, but to control the intricate and delicate progress of what may be an ongoing investigation. LEO agencies often use the media to strategically release information to the public to further an investigation and / or the arrest of an actor or actors. Rampant, uncontrolled streaming compromises that effort and removes control of information from the agency.

For the majority of government agencies right now, I would say this is probably true. However, once transparency is destroyed, the corruption will spread.

Encryption will soon be the norm nationwide.

Yes and stopping streaming will not change that. Encryption is coming, streaming or not. It's dangerous right now for the people to turn on each other regarding streaming and scanning. As long as we can keep the notion of being able to listen as accepted, we have a better argument later against most public officials hiding everyday communications behind encryption. It has happened with other things in this country. Long ago, we said that no self-respecting gangster would pay a tax on his Tommy Gun. Now we have pervasive gun control. There are many other examples across various areas of our lives. Give an inch now, lend it any credence, and the battle becomes much worse years later.

 

[kd7kdc]

I don't think people want sound bytes fed to them by the media or the government. We want the raw unedited, unmolested Information so we can make up our OWN minds. That notion probably scares the crap out of those in power.


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[Hans13]

I don't think people want sound bytes fed to them by the media or the government. We want the raw unedited, unmolested Information so we can make up our OWN minds. That notion probably scares the crap out of those in power.

In a truly free country, that would be the expectation and not the exception. I agree with you.

 

[TrooperBruceMichaels]

I love all this "constitutional" banter! Just remember who OWNS the radio system. A lot of complaining about locations that are 100% encrypted, but has any of that changed due to radio hobbiest? No. Will it ever change? Probably not. Yes, there are thousands and thousands of people who like to listen to public safety. There are millions and millions of people in the USA. Scanner hobbiest folks are a very, very small fraction of a single percentage point. The owners of the radio systems number one priority is to the safety of their public safety employees. The wants and the needs of the loyalist listener is down below the needs of a radio for the lone dog catcher in their area.

Enjoy it while you can. I'm sure Terra Haute isn't the first, and truly won't be the last to type in "Encrypt" on their keyboard.

TBM

 

[JD21960]

Cease! or we will Exterminate!

I have to laugh that the police think Broadcastify OR any scanner listener can have half the effect that Social media does. Those are "abused" far more in giving away police locations and tactical at events. The Police don't shut those down because they've solved countless crimes and caught a ton of retards posting their latest crime on Youblab, twit or farcebook. Did their jobs FOR them. RADIO listeners may be a "small percentage" but social media is a MUCH larger source. They are the bigger threat but no encrypting them? or CELL phones? for that matter. If all this is for safety? better get rid of social media-bots trading information and hit the kill switch on all cell phones. For the greater good of course.

 

[Hans13]

I love all this "constitutional" banter!

You don't understand the underlying principles of liberty. Our constitution was to be a safeguard of the precious individual liberties that have been brutally suppressed for practically all of human history. No, if you really understood it, I doubt you would be foolish enough to jokingly shrug it off.

The owners of the radio systems number one priority is to the safety of their public safety employees.

If the owners of the systems are our government, then their number one priority is mandated to be the protection of individual rights. Safety of government agents is secondary to that mission. Look in the Declaration of Independence and you will find the legitimate reason for our government. It's not for covering their own collective government backsides.

 

[AK9R]

Just remember who OWNS the radio system.

Ultimately, the taxpayers.

 

[kd7kdc]

The Taxpayers


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[rbrtklamp2]

Just another quick hypocrisy for you all to chew on....

Many scanner dealers support this website with ad revenue. Certainly, because THEY WANT TO SELL SCANNERS!

Yet, the very same website supports Broadcastify and streaming, resulting in many, many folks using their cell phones and computers to monitor traffic and lieu of spending 4, 5, 6 hundred on a scanner.

Bottom line is I do not listen to streaming, do not stream, and always thought Broadcastify, etc. was a bad idea for this hobby. I hope I am wrong.

I have been saying this for years it's in my signature even. Most people don't understand the common sense behind your logic I for one very much appreciate it. Streaming will be the death of our hobby and I truly feel for the people who enjoyed this hobby for more years than I have even been a part of it losing there local police and fire monitoring capabilities to encryption because of broadcastify and other streamin sites. Bottom line is the owner of broadcastify and other pay stream sites, broadcastify being the biggest one I have ever seen though, don't care about the hobby and are blinded to our cause by there immense greed. Bottom line I wish there was a plus one for your post so we could see how many appreciate and agree with our point of view.

 

[Hans13]

Streaming is just a scapegoat. When streaming goes away, scan listeners will be even smaller in number. You might prolong scanning for a year by throwing streaming under the bus but that bus is going to run you over too.