Android Phone? Hello Big Brother!

[tanneji]

It doesn't have to be Carrier IQ. That's the point. You think that's the only software ever developed with this purpose in mind? Even if every Windows phone on the planet is free of the software, there are a multitude of other methods for collecting information that would have been historically considered illegal, but are tolerated now. "I don't have anything to hide" is all well and good, until you've got a boot on your door. Your constitution was designed to keep this very kind of thing from happening.

Very very true indeed! your name "genericname" makes lots of sense with that in mind haha

 

[Colin]

I don't have a smart phone, and I don't know if this applies to the O/P, but I heard something on the radio yesterday about privacy issues & smart phones (like how stores in Malls will pick up your signal and send you an ad).....and the guy was saying that most people don't know that you can (and should) turn OFF the WiFi feature within your phone.

shrug

 

[genericname]

....and the guy was saying that most people don't know that you can (and should) turn OFF the WiFi feature within your phone.

Wifi's alright, but most people allow their phones to automatically connect to unprotected, open wifi on the fly, which can be dangerous.

It's popular, because it's free, but being behind your own, personal, secure wifi at home or at the office is ideal. When I'm out and about, I turn wifi off, and connect to the internet via 3G, which is encrypted by default. Still, no idea what the carrier's running!

 

[Ghost Prophet]

I don't have a smart phone, and I don't know if this applies to the O/P, but I heard something on the radio yesterday about privacy issues & smart phones (like how stores in Malls will pick up your signal and send you an ad).....and the guy was saying that most people don't know that you can (and should) turn OFF the WiFi feature within your phone.

shrug

Well as a purely educational hacker, I can tell you that WiFi isn't the only thing you should be worrying about. You should also avoid using bluetooth in crowded places.

Regardless if the WiFi hotspot is password protected, private, etc... It only takes one person with a packet sniffer to come along and catch all the data flowing from your device to the wireless access point or router, then crack that data, which will recover all of the information you've been transmitting as well as the password to connect to the hotspot. It's true that a good encryption can be a life saver, especially against amateurs. But truth of it is that any encryption can be cracked, it only takes time.

No one is ever going to be completely safe when it comes to computers, but ignorance is bliss right? ^_^

Now back on topic... I'm not very fond of cell phones, smart phones, or any kind of device I can be annoyed by in my pocket. However I think there is a lot of potential for such devices if you modify them to run off the beaten path. There's a lot of people hard at work to get them running on operating systems such as Linux, which are far more secure, and you can bet your bottom dollar there aren't any key loggers because it's all open source.

 

[genericname]

But truth of it is that any encryption can be cracked, it only takes time.

No kidding. People are still bonking their head against the wall over the SSL fiasco.

About the alternate OS scenario... not a full solution, but I'm really looking forward to rooting my phone. Bell and Rogers are as nasty as telecommunications companies come, and I can't wait to be rid of whatever crap is on my device as a result.

Also, Lain! Haha, awesome!

 

[Mike F]

few articles on this, including how to remove/turn it off on your iphone or android...

http://lifehacker.com/5864518/is-my-phone-spying-on-me-and-what-can-i-do-about-it

http://lifehacker.com/5864467/check...oodoo-carrier-iq-detector-no-rooting-required

http://lifehacker.com/5863895/carri...everything-on-your-phone-and-how-to-remove-it

http://lifehacker.com/5864159/carrier-iq-is-tracking-your-iphone-too-heres-how-to-turn-it-off

 

[phototec]

So it's okay when a corporation does it, but when law enforcement does it, it's a violation of your rights? I really don't want this to be an argument, but that's crazy talk. We should all have a certain expectation of privacy, and we're allowing those expectations to be slowly eroded.

Your are RIGHT ON!

It's no different than the post office opening all your mail and making a Xerox copy of the content, then re-sealing the envelope and sending the mail on it's way. What they will do with all the information collected, is still NOT fully known.

I believe I heard on the national news, one member of congress thinks this is WRONG and demanding the Gov. look into the matter.

 

[The Vector Doctor]

Any idea of anyone can use "sniffers" or similar to get info from your cellphone when using a cell signal (3g for instance)? When I am using a wi-fi public hotspot I never access my phones paypal, bank or credit card apps in fear that someone could get my passwords. But I frequently use it when on the regular cell signal

 

[genericname]

Any idea of anyone can use "sniffers" or similar to get info from your cellphone when using a cell signal (3g for instance)? When I am using a wi-fi public hotspot I never access my phones paypal, bank or credit card apps in fear that someone could get my passwords. But I frequently use it when on the regular cell signal

You're right to avoid those uses while on open Wifi. For the most part, if anyone can pull a signal from your 3G use, they're just going to get garbled 1s and 0s. Everything transmitted over 3G is encrypted. 'Course, that's not to say it's not possible. Apply Occam's Razor to it though... the likelihood of it is far less, because there are easier ways of stealing personal information from people that are more free with it. More than likely, the only people with the tech and the know-how to pull and decrypt 3G signals want information much more sensitive than typical credit card info and email addresses.

 

[Hero Signs]

Your home internet service providers have been tracking your activity for years, why would it be new to cell phones?

The cell companies shut us (tech nerds) down in 2005 using our data package from the cell phone to access our soft VoIP phones and not having minute usage charges. Have not tried since, but I had a company of 70 who were calling internationally doing this and for a moment saved them some big $$. So yes traffic is monitored.

 

[FireSprint.com]

I'm going to go watch this.

 

[WeekendDirectionals]

I'm going to go watch this.

And we'll watch you watch it.