• too_high_for_this@lemmy.world
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            5 hours ago

            Do you know what ‘passive’ means? It’s a basically a mirror for a specific frequency. There’s no way to “detect” it other than tearing apart whatever it’s hidden in.

            The fact that it was made with 1960’s Soviet analog tech should tell you that China could plausibly make something better and smaller now.

            • Bloefz@lemmy.world
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              3 hours ago

              It would certainly be detectable. You could do an X-ray, sweep the RF spectrum and see the energy disappear at the right frequency, things like that.

              They had that tech in the 60s too.

              Also when the bug was in operation it was definitely not passive. It was being fed by what must have been a really strong signal to power it, and transmitted the results back.

          • flandish@lemmy.world
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            10 hours ago

            tech is tech. if it’s able to not be detected then it’s able to be not detected now.

            • Casterial@lemmy.world
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              6 hours ago

              This is assuming one country is lagging behind their advancements. Most countries are finally catching up to our tech made in the 90s my dude.

              • toofpic@lemmy.world
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                9 hours ago

                Who “they”? Security services are not the hive, It’s not like everyone knows everything pr never misses anything. Or do you think it’s like a game where you unlock the “passive listening device countermeasures” technology and suddenly 100% bugs across the country are found and new bugs can’t be planted?

                • Ilovethebomb@sh.itjust.works
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                  7 hours ago

                  Or do you think it’s like a game where you unlock the “passive listening device countermeasures” technology

                  Kinda, yes. Now that everyone knows how it works, and they will, because intelligence agencies share this stuff with their allies, it would become a lot harder to pull the same trick again.

      • leoj@piefed.social
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        13 hours ago

        I feel like it is entirely plausible to miss something when scanning, I believe it is extremely plausible to miss something when scanning an entire jet aircraft, regardless of the skills of the personnel involved.

        • turtlesareneat@piefed.ca
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          3 hours ago

          A jet has multiple integrated digital systems meaning it would be super easy to hide things within the wiring or on circuit boards, which is exactly what security professionals said when they accepted the plane - it could never be made truly safe without being gutted - but they didn’t listen.

          • leoj@piefed.social
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            13 hours ago

            I feel like I had to have heard of this device before, but that article was a fascinating read - thank you!

            I think people still think of China as a second tier sometimes, but from what I have seen their technology is likely at least equal to ours, and I would imagine the West and China both surpass each other in different technological categories.

            • billy@piefed.zip
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              11 hours ago

              Lol China is far superior to our tech. They get to manufacture everything we design. Then get to ponder on improvements. Not to mention their “students” in all our universities.

        • zikzak025@lemmy.world
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          13 hours ago

          By “the FBI scanned”, they probably mean “We told Kash Patel that there was a six pack of Miller hidden somewhere in the plane and let him have at it.”

          • leoj@piefed.social
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            13 hours ago

            Right? I was like “Faith in the FBI? Someone didn’t watch the Mens Hockey gold medal match…”