Big Brother IS watching you

[MaddogK]

Found 2 interesting stories with serious implications if you can connect them.

#1
iPhone keeps record of everywhere you go

Privacy fears raised as researchers reveal file on iPhone that stores location coordinates and timestamps of owner's movements

Security researchers have discovered that Apple's iPhone keeps track of where you go – and saves every detail of it to a secret file on the device which is then copied to the owner's computer when the two are synchronised.

The file contains the latitude and longitude of the phone's recorded coordinates along with a timestamp, meaning that anyone who stole the phone or the computer could discover details about the owner's movements using a simple program.

For some phones, there could be almost a year's worth of data stored, as the recording of data seems to have started with Apple's iOS 4 update to the phone's operating system, released in June 2010.

"Apple has made it possible for almost anybody – a jealous spouse, a private detective – with access to your phone or computer to get detailed information about where you've been," said Pete Warden, one of the researchers.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology...-privacy-fears

#2
ACLU: Michigan cops stealing drivers' phone data

The Michigan State Police have started using handheld machines called "extraction devices" to download personal information from motorists they pull over, even if they're not suspected of any crime. Naturally, the ACLU has a problem with this.

The devices, sold by a company called Cellebrite, can download text messages, photos, video, and even GPS data from most brands of cell phones. The handheld machines have various interfaces to work with different models and can even bypass security passwords and access some information.

The problem as the ACLU sees it, is that accessing a citizen's private phone information when there's no probable cause creates a violation of the Constitution's 4th Amendment, which protects us against unreasonable searches and seizures...

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20055431-1.html

[the_tyrant]

Big brother was, is and will always be watching you
I am proud of what I do and I don't care if the whole world is watching


of course, the "japanese romantic action" films are still encrypted with the best encryption on earth

[Ducimus]

Mental note to self:
If I ever go on the lam for whatever reason, destroy and deep six the mobile tracking device in my front pocket.

[Feuer Frei!]

Always has, always will.

[gimpy117]

Ive been pulled over in MI and not once have I been asked to submit my phone for this kind of process. I would never allow them to anyways. It's in clear violation of my rights if true. I'll keep my eye on this.

[MaddogK]

Originally Posted by gimpy117

Ive been pulled over in MI and not once have I been asked to submit my phone for this kind of process. I would never allow them to anyways. It's in clear violation of my rights if true.

You actually don't have a choice, police can search your vehicle without a warrant under the law. If you refuse to let them download your phone data you may have something to hide, which could give them probable cause to search your person.



http://www.llrmi.com/articles/legal_.../4-mar10.shtml

http://criminal.lawyers.com/traffic-...-Seizures.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_vehicle_exception

[GoldenRivet]

You know...

people lived all this time without cell phones.

My wife recently got me one of these beauties. the more i think about it the more i consider it to be all the phone i need.

furthermore... i have the detailed link to facebook deletion directions. (there is a huge difference between disabling your facebook account and deleting it by the way).

the process is about 14 steps long - it is ridiculously difficult to have facebook delete your information and account.

i think some time soon i will be downgrading my cell phone to something a lot simpler - or to nothing. and i will be getting rid of my facebook too

[Feuer Frei!]

This, back in 2009:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/15/bu...15privacy.html

“European privacy rules are crystal clear: a person’s information can only be used with their prior consent,”

Think that would still be current in the EU.


In relation to the iPhones, There are app store apps that have been sending data with UID and personal info to their own servers for no purpose except tracking.
There are many tools, free or otherwise to allow you to turn off app tracking to all 4 trackers.
Ever since iOS 4 arrived, your device has been storing a long list of locations and time stamps.
It’s clearly intentional, as the database is being restored across backups, and even device migrations.
There are obviously security issues here—especially since the data is unencrypted and unprotected.
Cell-phone providers collect similar data almost inevitably as part of their operations, but it’s kept behind their firewall. It normally requires a court order to gain access to it, whereas this is available to anyone who can get their hands on your phone or computer.
By passively logging your location without your permission, Apple have made it possible for anyone from a jealous spouse to a private investigator to get a detailed picture of your movements.
In some ways, Apple and Google are the same

[joea]

Originally Posted by GoldenRivet

You know...

people lived all this time without cell phones.

...and without the internet or computer games either. If you honestly think you can't be tracked by a simple cell phone well you are wrong. No excuse for this however and Apple or any other company should be called out and forced to disable or otherwise protect such data. I still think the positives of smarthphones outweight the negatives-if I didn't I'd trash my sim card and use my iphone as an ipod touch.


I am not too worried, as I usually just go from work to home with the occasional stop to buy drugs...




It's hayfever season and I need to get a puffer for my asthma and antihistamines from the drug store.

Seriously Facebook is the worst offender-and the worst is people voluntarily give out ALL their info. I have a FB account but use some precautions - I have found a lot of old friends with it I might have not otherwise.

Here are some links on deleting your account permanently.

http://www.ehow.com/how_5186689_perm...k-account.html

http://www.wikihow.com/Permanently-D...cebook-Account

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=16929680703