Is it possible to maintain your privacy on cell phones?

JAKARTA (JP): Remember the landmark issue of the tapping of the alleged cellphone conversation between two of the then highly controversial people in this country?

It happened after former president Soeharto stepped down in May of 1998. Well, "landmark" is probably not the correct word as for decades this country has been hit by one issue after another in such rapid succession, no issue can be classified as landmark anymore.

Nonetheless, at least the recording of the conversation, which was examined, analyzed, scrutinized, dissected, reengineered, discussed and commented upon in so many different ways, helped to remind us that nothing is secure under the sun.

Although tapping a cellphone conversation requires a sophisticated scanner -- and also some degree of determination in trailing the people you want to eavesdrop on -- it can be done quite easily.

Eavesdropping is a major offense in most developed countries. In April 1999, for example, the U.S. congress passed the Wireless Privacy Enhancement Act.

Anyone caught eavesdropping illegally may even be imprisoned. Too bad the law on privacy is not really known here in our country. Even if it was, we would still be doubtful whether it meant anything, given the fact that our law enforcement leaves much to be desired.

In the U.S., the Act authorizes the Federal Communications Commission to ban devices that can be used to scan the air for cellphone conversations. It is also deemed illegal to modify scanners in such a way to enable them to eavesdrop on people's cellphone conversation.

Clearly, we badly need this kind of law here. But, as our national priorities are presently dominated by other issues, it will be a long time before our privacy is protected.

So, what do we do?

The easiest way is not to use the cellphone for conveying any confidential information. Just be aware that your privacy is never guaranteed, legally or technologically.

Well, technologically speaking, the situation is not really that bad, actually. Rohde and Schwarz SIT GmbH (www.rohde- schwarz.com) has come up with the world's first cellphone that cannot be tapped -- at least not easily tapped.

Fitted on the popular Siemens S35i cellphone, the TopSecGSM encryption chip module scrambles the digital data to make it impossible for eavesdroppers to make sense of your conversation.

Two types of encryptions are used in TopSecGSM. They are the asymmetric 1024-bit encryption and the symmetric 128-bit algorithm, the company says.

Trying to decode them would be like trying to guess the right five-digit number in a six-digit lottery, it says further. So, the next time leaders of this country or top executives of big companies want to exchange top secret information over the cellular phone network, tell them to use one of these modified S35is.

Why the leaders? Because the cellphones with the chip cost almost US$3,000 a piece.

Even at this price, it is not 100 percent tap proof. (Zatni Arbi)