Is using a smartphone really smart?
Posted by Michelle Moquin on May 27th, 2011
Good morning!
Is Your Cell Phone Violating Your Rights?
To say that cell phones are widely used in the U.S. is a gross understatement.
According to CTIA – The Wireless Association, an organization representing the interests of the wireless communications industry, cell phones were used by 96% of the U.S. and territorial population (including Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands) in December 2010.
A recent Nielsen survey reported that almost one third of U.S. cell phone users are utilizing smartphones. While the growing adoption of smartphones is good news for phone manufacturers, the advanced computing capabilities and wireless connectivity of smartphones raise new concerns regarding privacy rights.
Smartphones provide users continuous mobile access to the Internet. As a result, smartphones contain a treasure trove of personal information, including banking information, travel plans and family photos. However, while use of advanced security software is commonplace on our computers, many of us are not safeguarding the personal information stored on and transmitted through our smartphones. While there is security software for smartphones including anti-virus and encryption software, it is not available for all models of cell phones and has not been widely adopted.
A recent study conducted by mobile security company AdaptiveMobile discloses that 2010 saw the highest number of Smartphone malware (short for malicious software) infections, up 33% from 2009. AdaptiveMobile expects to see an exponential increase in such attacks in the next year as the adoption of smartphones becomes more widespread. In a society well aware of computer viruses and identity theft, why are we not protecting our smartphones from such attacks?
It is not only hackers and cyber criminals who may be interested in the information stored on our cell phones. It was recently revealed to the public that Apple iPhones and Google Android smartphones are regularly tracking our locations and recording this information in a hidden file stored on our phones. Anyone able to access our phones can use the stored locational information to reconstruct our daily travels and routine. Access to such information could be of great interest to the police and the government or even an employer or suspicious spouse. Police use of such information may be of particular concern in light of the recent accusations that police officers in Michigan are using data extracting devices to secretly obtain information from cell phones during routine traffic stops.
In addition to being stored on our smartphones, this locational information is being transmitted back to Google and Apple. It is currently unclear what these companies are using this information for, although the companies have stated that this information is transmitted anonymously and that the tracking and ability to opt out by disabling location services is disclosed in the privacy policies agreed to by the users. Such policies, however, are often lengthy and confusing and it is common for users to agree to such privacy policies without actually reading them. Furthermore, a recent test conducted byThe Wall Street Journal revealed that locational data continued to be collected and stored on Apple’s iPhone even when the location services were turned off.
The news of smartphone tracking activity and data collection has raised a number of privacy concerns. These concerns have lead U.S. and foreign lawmakers to request further details from Apple and Google regarding these practices. In addition, representatives from both Apple and Google have been summoned to participate in a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law. The hearing is to be held in May and will be focused on mobile device privacy.
While many are concerned over the implications of such locational tracking on privacy rights, others note that tracking a person’s location through their cell phone is nothing new. Some smartphone users state that they are not concerned because they have nothing to hide and note that such tracking is required for many of the useful programs on their smartphones to function. Numerous smartphone apps, such as those that can recommend a nearby restaurant, locate the nearest Starbucks or allow a user to map out travel routes, require tracking the location of the smartphone user.
Amongst the continued confusion over what information is being tracked by our cell phones and the debate over whether this tracking is helpful or harmful, what remains clear is that many of us are largely uninformed when it comes to the information that is being stored on our cell phones.
In addition to failing to protect personal information stored on cellphones from access by others, many smartphone users are also unwittingly broadcasting their personal information to the world. Geotagging is the addition of geographical information to media such as photographs or video. If geotagging is enabled on your smartphone, uploading media to the Internet simultaneously uploads your location. By uploading geotagged images you may be sharing your home address, details of your daily routine or the fact that your house is empty while you are out of town. It is easy to see how this information can be used and misused for everything from targeted marketing to targeted crime.
Most troubling is that many users have no idea that geotagging is occurring on their phone. Many smartphones come with geotagging automatically enabled. As geotags are generally invisible unless specific software is downloaded to enable visualization of the tags, many users are completely unaware that they are sharing more than pictures and videos when they upload media files to the Internet.
Even with the emerging security and privacy concerns, our cell phone usage continues to grow. Cell phones have become an integral part of everyday life and for many of us, not having a cell phone would render us incompetent employees and social pariahs. As cell phone technology continues to evolve, our reliance on these devices continues to grow.
Will our growing cell phone dependence make us even more vulnerable to potential privacy violations or will it drive us to demand more transparency, protection and control when it comes to our cell phones?
The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center and the San Diego Center for Ethics in Science and Technology will be hosting a free public forum on May 4 at 5:30 p.m. to further discuss cell phones and issues arising from our society’s increasing dependency on this technology.
Margaret Ng Thow Hing is an intellectual property attorney residing in Pacific Beach and writes as a member of the San Diego Center for Ethics in Science and Technology.
***********
Readers: This article is a few weeks old, and the first hearing was on May 10th. From what I’ve read Apple and Google got grilled. I don’t have the most recent news, so I’m not sure where we’re at with this. And quite frankly this write is strictly posted for all of you smartphone users.
I have to say, I like my phone as antiquated as it is. It serves the purpose I use it for: to talk. And I will use it until it no longer works. It is not a smartphone. I don’t have apps and I don’t want any. I spend enough time on my computer. The last thing I want to do is stare into my cell phone for hours on end. I simply use my phone for talking only, and for that simple fact I am grateful.
Say I am behind the times…Say I’m not hip. I don’t care. I have never been one to follow the pack. In fact I can be quite the rebel when I am pushed by society to conform to what it wants me to do, feel, buy etc. When it comes to my life, I make my own decisions based on what is best for me, as long as my decisions don’t affect the livelihood of anyone else. And buying a smartphone certainly does. As we all know, and I have written about it many times, buying a new cell phone every time the latest one hits the stores does affect people…it does affect their livelihood. In fact it can be the difference between life and death for many people.
Be kind and be smart.
It’s Friday…start flapping your lips. Blog me.
Peace out.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)
May 27th, 2011 at 5:09 pm
Do we really have any privacy anymore? I live on a Navaho reservation and many families have found that when the attempt to use their Indian Nation’s ID that the US government has data on them back to the date of entry their elders were forced on the reservations.
May 27th, 2011 at 6:23 pm
I’m trapped(sort of) on Viv”s ship with him. Smiv hails us and ask if Viv has told me his favorite story about when he still worked for the Emperor.
I said no. So he said,”ask him.” He loves to tell it.
So I did and here it is.
One day Viv was rounding up a few quick meals for the crew(the ones who love a tasty human) and one woman in the batch was still conscious.
She sat up and asked it any harm was going to come to the captives. Viv laughed and said “Yes and NO.” “We are going to toss you into the air and swallow you whole, you will be dead before you wake.”
She said, “But I’m not asleep.” Viv responded, “Okay I’ll put you to sleep.”
Lady: “That is hardly fair. I thought superior beings were, if nothing else fair.”
Viv: “C’mon lady do you expect me to let you go?”
Lady: “No, but how about a fighting chance to survive.?
Viv: “Lady, I’m 28 feet tall 14 and a half tons. What chance do you have against me?”
Lady: “You don’t look that tall and how can you move so quickly if you are that heavy?”
Viv: “you see the image I project and I’m more than quick enough to catch and swallow you whole.”
Lady: “What if I could make you something that would taste much better than me?”
Viv: “Nothing taste as good as you tiny morsels. We flew through four galaxy storms to get here to dine on you.”
Lady: “You mean this entire ship came here just to eat us?”
Viv: “Actually no, more than half the ship’s crew do not eat intelligent beings from other planets. Why they think you humans fit in that category is debatable.”
Lady: “Then why not ask some of them to participate?”
Cxle: “I agree why not allow some of us to join in the game?”
Viv: “This is not game. I have not decided if her offer has any interest to me.”
Cxle: “Yes, but since the proposal could affect all of us if she can do what he has proposed..”
Viv: “Cxle, when are you going to learn? Just because you can listen in doesn’t mean you should listen in?”
By this time the deck has become full of crew members all debating whether her option should be given merit.
Keew, LT Commander, : ” I see no reason a woman shouldn’t be given an opportunity to challenge a male for her survival.”
Viv: “As you wish MAAm.”
Lady: I will make you some LITTLE TWISTS.” But you will have to take me to find the exact quality ingredients that I need.”
Nokr: Lady do not attempt to trick Viv, he is a formidable intellect to challenge.”
Viv: ” I am insulted that you would bring that up Nokr, but since you did, you get to escort her to bring back her ingredients.”
Lady: “I will need Cream Cheese, Butter, Cake Flour, Eggs, and Vanilla for the crust. And Chocolate, Apricots, Walnuts, Raspberries, Coconuts, Cinnamon and Raisons for the filling”
Viv: “So, what are you waiting for Nokr, take her to them.”
Eventually, they return with all the items, including a bakery kitchen with all the hardware. It was set up in the Hatchery.
When she finished there were long rolls of Pastry each filled with the different fillings. Some had mixtures of the fillings. The aroma was simply fabulous as it wafted though the Hatchery walls and filled the Hmon deck with a mystery that brought thousands of the crew to the Hatchery.
Lady; “Normally, I cut my Rugelach into little twists and market them at our family’s kosher dairy. But you big mothers can just eat them out of the oven.”
We did and spared her life because they were as she had claimed. Much better tasting than humans were(so claimed the few human eaters who dared to taste her concoction.).
Viv being one of them, gave her an option, she could continue as one of the crew as cook, providing out computer couldn’t match her skills in the culinary department. Or he would personally escort her back to her point of capture.
Lady: Before I make up my mind let’s see if your computer can match my skills.”
It could not!
Lady: “I am 68 years old, with grand kids that don’t appreciate me and I suffer from painful bouts of rheumatoid arthritis. Why would I want to return to earth? But what kind of life will I have here with you hideous looking creatures?”
Viv: “Bring her a suit, but one without an intellect input.”
Lady: I like this new body, but could I have had a different choice.?
Keew: “Men, take her to the Klair and allow her to make her own decision.”
Lady: “I always wanted to be a 5’10″ redhead knockout. If I could only spend a month on earth trying this model out?”
Keew: “Return her to earth.”
Viv: “That was the last we ever saw of that lady. As you know Keew died in the battle of he plane shifter war. I inherited her command and I decided to remove the locator and leave the Lady free to be a knockout red head for the life of that body.”
Roi: “Viv! She has 341 to go. How could you allow her to live among mortals for that long?”
Viv: “You know why I have no problem filling my positions even though everyone says I am a bastard to work under?”
Roi: “I have had moments when I asked myself that.”
Viv: “The Lady always remembers to send a nice batch of “Little Twists” for the crew of any vessel I command.”
Roi
May 27th, 2011 at 9:15 pm
Ed Schulltz for calling laura Ingraham a right wing slut. He knows he said something he shouldn’t have so he apologized and he has been suspended for a week without pay by MSNBC.
Glenn Beck proposed murder and no one said a thing.
”I’m thinking about killing Michael Moore, and I’m wondering if I could kill him myself, or if I would need to hire somebody to do it. … No, I think I could. I think he could be looking me in the eye, you know, and I could just be choking the life out.” —Glenn Beck
No penalties, no “outrage,” for (at the least) implicitly inciting his fans to murder Michael Moore.
============================
What’s wrong with this picture?
Mindy
May 27th, 2011 at 9:16 pm
I know it is not your fault but I can’t seem to post to your blog today. Hope I fair better tomorrow.
May 27th, 2011 at 9:33 pm
Hafa adai
Will someone tell me why a thinking OTW would ever vote Republican?
==========================================
US House Rules Committee blocks Guam’s war claims
By Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Guam Delegate Madeleine Z. Bordallo disclosed Thursday that the Republican-controlled House Committee on Rules has prevented H.R. 44, the Guam World War II Loyalty Recognition Act, from being added as an amendment to H.R. 1540, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2012.
The Rules Committee issues rules for debate on legislation, and they control which amendments can be considered on the floor and which cannot be considered.
House Republicans issued a structured rule for debate over H.R. 1540 that limited consideration of amendments to those approved by the House Rules Committee without further amendment.
Republican leadership had earlier indicated that the bill would be brought up under an open rule that would allow all filed amendments to be considered by the House.
Bordallo testified before the Rules Committee yesterday to request that her amendment be considered during debate on the NDAA on the House floor.
However, despite the support of House Armed Services Committee chair Buck McKeon and Ranking Member Adam Smith for Guam War Claims, after a closed door meeting of the Rules Committee, H.R. 44 was not among those amendments ruled in order for debate, thus prohibiting it from having an up or down vote on the floor.
Bordallo spoke yesterday to oppose the structured rule (H. Res. 276) on the FY12 NDAA. She emphasized to her colleagues that H.R. 44 has passed the House with bipartisan support on five separate occasions.
She made it clear that resolution of Guam war claims is important, given what is being asked of Guam to support the military buildup.
H.R. 44 and the amendment submitted by Bordallo contained compromise language that is supported by the House and Senate Armed Services Committees as well as the Obama Administration, including the Department of Defense and the Department of the Interior.
This is the same language that was agreed to during informal conference negotiations between the Senate Armed Services chair Carl Levin and Ranking Member John McCain. However, due to time constraints during consideration over the FY11 Defense Authorization Bill, the bill was forced to be considered under unanimous consent.
A few senators objected specifically to the inclusion of H.R. 44, and it was stricken from the bill. Bordallo received a commitment from chair Buck McKeon to include H.R. 44 in this year’s defense bill.
The H.R. 44 amendment would authorize payments to (living) survivors of the Japanese occupation of Guam during World War II as well as the heirs of those who died during the occupation.
The language excludes the descendents of survivors of the occupation (those survivors who have since passed away).
“I strongly oppose the decision of the Republican-led Rules Committee to bar H.R. 44 from being debated on the House floor,” said Bordallo. “H.R. 44 has passed the House on five separate occasions, and each time with bi-partisan support.
The rule instituted by the Rules Committee denies the people of Guam the up or down vote they deserve regarding this most important matter.
The Committee’s decision was made behind closed doors, and Committee Members did not have the decency to tell me about any concerns they had with my amendment.
This process lacks transparency and accountability, and it does not promote an open, democratic government. Chairman McKeon committed to including H.R. 44 in this year’s defense bill, and I appreciate his support, but the Republican leadership would not allow him to honor his commitment.
The Rules action is wrong, and it betrays the word of the Armed Services chairman. Although this is a significant setback, I will continue to fight for war claims and will work with our bill’s supporters in the House and Senate to overcome the procedural obstacles that are being used to block Guam war claims.”
==========================
These bigots are expecting Guam to be the target for their aggression in the Pacific.
Peter
May 27th, 2011 at 9:34 pm
Why do men die before their wives?
They want to!
May 27th, 2011 at 10:00 pm
PROSTATE CANCER ANGST — WHO NEEDS TESTING?
A conversation with a male friend inspired me to conduct a review of the latest information on prostate cancer screenings — because men still are getting conflicting information.
This time around, yet another study is raising questions on the usefulness of the popular PSA test… and, as my friend said to me in frustration, what else is there for a guy who’s worried about getting prostate cancer to do?
His angst is understandable — his 52-year-old brother has been undergoing rigorous treatment for prostate cancer that was identified by a high PSA reading in a recent exam. This is not a guy who wants to hear that the test is unreliable so he shouldn’t bother getting it.
I took my friend’s question to Sheldon Marks, MD, associate professor of surgery at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and author of the book Prostate & Cancer: A Family Guide to Diagnosis, Treatment, and Survival. I asked Dr. Marks to explain what men need to know — here’s his guidance…
FACTS FIRST
Prostate cancer is nothing to be trifled with. According to the most recent data, about 32,000 men die of it each year in the US alone. The average age men die at is 80, and 32,000 deaths is quite large enough in my view. It’s understandable, then, why men want any test that can give them an edge.
“PSA” stands for prostate-specific antigen, a protein made by the cells of the prostate gland. PSA tests measure the level of PSA in the blood — a level of no higher than 2.5 nanograms per milliliter of blood is now considered “normal.”
A higher level can be a warning sign of cancer, most especially if the level is rising rapidly (known as “velocity”).
The rap against having regular PSA tests is that numerous studies have demonstrated that the results aren’t all that reliable because there are many false-positives.
For instance, inflammation anywhere in the pelvis can cause an elevation in PSA, as can such everyday activities as riding a bicycle and indeed any “rectal/anal trauma” (though, Dr. Marks told me, hemorrhoids don’t cause this problem).
A high reading from causes other than prostate cancer can, and often does, lead to unnecessary biopsies. Not only does this create a lot of anxiety that may turn out to be unfounded, but the biopsies also have some risks (such as bleeding and infection), though typically not severe.
BACK-AND-FORTH FINDINGS
So now let’s take a look at the back-and-forth research findings. PSA tests became standard for men over age 50 starting in the 1990s, but a 2004 study cast doubt on the old benchmark of 4.0, showing that biopsies often detected cancer in men with a lower level of 2.5.
Dr. Marks told me that most experts continue to believe that tens of thousands of lives are saved every year by PSA testing — yet a 2009 study published in The New England Journal of Medicine showed that no fewer men were dying from prostate cancer with regular PSA screenings than without them.
Then last year, a major study published in BMJ (formerly British Medical Journal) concluded that PSA levels are highly accurate predictors of prostate cancer risk in men at age 60… and now, to add further complication, a study published in the February 24, 2011, issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute has said that a rapid increase in PSA levels, which had been thought to be an indicator of cancer, really isn’t a reliable indicator.
WHAT’S A MAN TO DO?
Be aware of your risk level. Men who are African-American and men with a family history (prostate cancer in a father, grandfather, uncle or brother) should consider themselves at high risk and should begin PSA testing at age 40 and then at the intervals their doctors recommend. Dr. Marks tests his low-risk patients at ages 45, 48 and 50, and then annually.
Calling himself a “firm believer in the power of the PSA as a useful tool,” Dr. Marks told me that it’s important to understand that while an elevated PSA does not necessarily mean cancer, it does usually mean something is not right and that further urologic evaluation is appropriate.
“Cancer is just one possibility—it could be enlarged prostate, a prostate infection or bladder infection,” he said, noting that the problem with the PSA test is that not all doctors understand its proper use and how to appropriately interpret the number.
Dr. Marks told me that over his career he has seen significant progress in reducing the number of young men who die from prostate cancer.
“It’s directly attributable to PSA testing and early detection and treatment,” he said, adding that “just last week I saw a patient diagnosed 15 years ago with a very aggressive killer prostate cancer, and he looked great and was still happy, and alive!
To me, the fact that some men have anxiety or stress with a biopsy is far outweighed by the dramatic benefits of saving such men’s lives. There is nothing more sad than to see a man die too young from a preventable or treatable cancer.”
Source(s):
Sheldon Marks, MD, clinical associate professor of surgery, University of Arizona, clinical lecturer, department of radiation oncology, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson.
He is author of Prostate & Cancer: A Family Guide to Diagnosis, Treatment, and Survival, Fourth edition (DaCapo).
May 27th, 2011 at 10:08 pm
Three Old Guys are out walking.
First one says, “Windy, isn’t it?”
Second one says, “No, it’s Thursday!”
Third one says, “So am I. Let’s go get a beer…”
May 28th, 2011 at 7:45 am
Michelle, I couldn’t get in yesterday to discuss this topic. My try today is to say that I agree with the concerns a few thinking people have.
That is why I have gone back to my old Razor non-smart phone model.
David
May 28th, 2011 at 8:27 am
We are in 1878:
Commercial Competition, beloved of classical economist, is carried to its logical bellicose conclusion in the American West. Businessman and landowners hire armies of gunmen to shoot down their rivals.
Businessman Lawrence Murphy of Lincoln, New Mexico, resented cattleman John Chisum challenging the cozy control of prices Murphy’s “House” managed with the Sante Fe dealers and officials.
When Murphy sold The House to ambitious merchants James Doland and James Riley, Who tightened its monopolistic price fixing. Chisum put up a strong challenge, aided by lawyer Alexander McSween, and English rancher John Tunstall. Tunstall privately hoped to take advantage of the cutthroat competition and secure monopoly powers in New Mexico himself.
But Doland and Riley persuaded a corrupt sheriff to issue a warrant for Tunstall’s arrest,and the posse that went after him caught him on foot and gunned him down when he was unarmed.
Tunstall’s ranch-hands, already physically threatened by Sheriff Brady and other House roughnecks, feel that they are in a fight to the death for survival.
They are led by a 19-year-old tearaway named William “Billy the Kid” Bonney, who has killed at least one man in a private quarrel. The ferocious “Kid” promises to make Lincoln County’s strife as memorable as the conflict of York and Lancaster.
May 28th, 2011 at 9:07 am
That’s what I’m talking about. Western history. So that’s how Billy the Kidd got started.
Tell me more.