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Warning Long Read:
Ok this is something I know about. I worked for a top ranked cellular company as a repair/ programming tech for two years.
It is very possible to remotely activate a cell phones mic from a satellite.
Triangulation is the key word here.
Modern cell phones keep time and location by communicating with the transmission towers.
If you are traveling and try to make a call you may notice the phone saying searching for a signal.
It is sending out a signal to the closest radio tower. The tower in return sends out a signal to the phone. The phone then sends a signal back to the tower with its SPECIFIC ID SIGNATURE.
This is also how the phone keeps track of time. Cell phones automatically update time zones from a signal sent out by the towers.
Every cell phones unique ID is kept on file by the service provider.
In a PERFECT World this information should be kept private.
Technically a signal function can be sent from a satellite to the towers to activate the chip of a particular Cellular ID. Thus putting the phone in a state of an active call. (IE activating the mic).
In most cell phones there is a way to limit the ability to perform this type of tracking / eavesdropping.
In the settings look for something like Tower or TIME UPDATE function.
If this feature is turned off the phone will stop sending out the location signal to the towers.
Thus making it harder if not impossible to locate the phone.
You may have to look around a bit to find the function. Sometime it is labeled as an airplane or flight function. This is so the phone won't interfere with the in-flight communications systems.
A note: When this function is disabled you may have a temporary lose of service and more dropped calls.
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ICQ-307696001 kingfisher.kj [at] gmail.com
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