"Mobile Device Privacy Act" would prevent secret smartphone monitoring

"Mobile Device Privacy Act" would prevent secret smartphone monitoring

arstechnica.com

Recent controversy sparked by the installation of monitoring software on millions of smartphones has led US Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) to propose a requirement that carriers and phone makers inform consumers about the presence of monitoring software and gain their "express consent" before collecting and transmitting information from phones.

The controversy started a couple months back when a developer publicized the widespread use of Carrier IQ software, which phone manufacturers and carriers use to monitor what happens on a smartphone. While Apple, Samsung, HTC, AT&T and others all said t

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'Markey, co-chairman of the bipartisan Congressional Privacy Caucus, says such software should only be used on a consumer's phone with the phone user's explicit consent.'

and i think he is right.
we should have a voice in this.
i know a lot of people are concerned and even paranoid about what certain agencies might do with that info.

so what do you think ATS?

arstechnica.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

and the original act

PDF. file

It sure sounds interesting, and I'll want to see what he has to say when there actually is something to say. I looked this up...or tried to...and discovered what they mean by draft. This is an idea...a brainstorm.. it isn't a bill or even proposed legislation yet. It has no number, let alone anything else...

So... Great catch for something to keep an eye on! Hopefully he means what he says and this isn't just a smoke screen to make life miserable for App designers while leaving loopholes for police and security agencies. I can't imagine this passing without those exceptions though. After the NDAA, it's obvious that even Obama won't go too far in backing up our privacy, rights or interests...so watching this develop (if it gets anywhere outside of ideas) will be worth the effort.

reply to post by kn0wh0w


What scares me is that every piece of legislation is seemingly named to sound like the exact opposite of what it really is.

Patriot Act, Affordable Health Care for America, for example. There are plenty more.

I so need a new phone. Right now, I have a plain old, old, old cell phone, a flip phone. It is a couple years old, it has very limited web access, no smart phone or apps or anything. It's all I need or want really.

Been looking at a droid because I can get one for 39 bucks with a 40 dollar a month unlimited plan.

But, with the stuff I have been seeing recently, I am stalling in buying it. I don't do Facebook, Myspace, play phone games online etc., do email on my phone, or anything else, so it will be simply a gadget to have to mess with.

More than I need OR desire. I do send texts to family and friends, love taking pics, and want to be able to take movies, but thats about the extent of it.

I don't desire to download apps or anything, so I just don't know.

At this point, I am happy to have Google and Government as far from my life as possible, so I just keep stalling. Maybe I should just get another flip phone and spend some extra bucks on a good video cam.

reply to post by AnonymousCitizen

Patriot Act

this act was named this way because of a certain reason, imho that is.

please, o please don´t get this wrong!

but i think a lot of americans have a false sense of patriotism.

you´re still a patriot of you disagree with the government from time to time.

imo, being a patriot means that you want the best for you, your fellow americans and your country.

sometimes the governmet doesn´t have these interests at heart, disagreeing with them then doesn´t make you any less patriotic.

but lets get back on track here

Hi there, this is my first post, be gentle with me, thanks for listening

It is a simple matter for a technical minded person to simply unlock and remove said software. Im a tattoo artist not a software engineer. After a little studying I was able to isolate certain part of the original Os and remove what I wanted. I have an Iphone 3Gs, I have jail broken and unlocked it. There is so much this phone is capable of, but you cant do any of it without removing "the manufacturer's recommended" setting. Nor is this Illegal.

lifehacker.com...

Originally posted by AnonymousCitizen
reply to post by kn0wh0w

 

What scares me is that every piece of legislation is seemingly named to sound like the exact opposite of what it really is.

Patriot Act, Affordable Health Care for America, for example. There are plenty more.

It is called "double speak" and "double think". Read 1984.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


The latest Supreme Court ruling on police using independent GPS tracking on vehicles partially nips the police / security side in the bud. The actual use of the phones information, again for LEO functions, is already safeguarded by requiring a warrant.

The only exception im aware of for law enforcement using the tracking portion revolves around emergencies, and even then the companies want specific info in order to cover themselves. I had a situation where a person called 911 to report they received a call of what sounded like a child being beat and screaming for help.

We used the phone number that showed on the callers screen to determine the network carrier. We were able to use the argument of life in imminent anger and assumed responsibility for proving that was indeed the fact in order to get the company to triangulate the phones location. In the end the ability proved well worth it.

So... from a personal point of view im not keen on having companies tracking me at all. From a leo point of view retaining that ability in an emergency situation can be invaluable and save lives.

From the flip side of the coin -
We do buy the phones however we are using a companies service. Are they not allowed to specify how their network is used within existing laws? Wouldn't this be one of those cases where the consumers can choose what service provider they want based on the contract they are signing?