dagblog - Comments for "Your cellphone: It’s Tracking Your Every Move and You May Not Even Know"

The Wall Street Journal ran a

Obey — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 00:43:22 +0000

The Wall Street Journal ran a test that shows iPhones collect and store location information even when location services are turned off.

So not so innocuous, imo. That article also has other details about how customer location is regularly shared with Advertising networks.

Here's the answer:...can

artappraiser — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 22:01:23 +0000

In reply to I do not have a cellphone so

Here's the answer:

...can supposedly be stopped by disabling Location Services in the Settings for your device. For all the privacy fanatics out there, we decided to put this to the test.

So does turning off Location really work? Well, as of right now, it looks like yes, it does.,,,

from PCMag, April 25: Is Your iPhone Tracking You Even with Location Services Turned Off?
You already know your iPhone is tracking you, but will turning off location services stop it?

Article is basically on Apple devices but I've seen the same lately as regarding all others. Just like with computers, people don't really investigate all the settings available on the phones they use. I was forced to actually read the manuals for a cell phone because I wanted to set up voice recognition for an ill family member. Most cell phones do have the capability to turn tracking off, in which case what they would be collecting would be similar info. to what they always collected with a land line.

I do not have a cellphone so

EmmaZahn — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 20:01:39 +0000

In reply to 1) I don't totally understand

I do not have a cellphone so I only know what I read in the papers and on the internets but I would think that calls would be tracked as they ping through various towers if for no other reason than the ability to backtrack problems with calls -- in shorter terms, for troubleshooting. While there is no need to retain those recordings for very long, it is easy to see how they just pile up over time. Getting someone to make a decision about what to throw away and what to keep is harder than just renting more storage space. :)

Maybe the default setting of GPS on is one of those 'nudges' that functions as an authorization for your tracking data to be marketed. Just an idea.

1) I don't totally understand

artappraiser — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 19:46:22 +0000

In reply to Your cellphone: It’s Tracking Your Every Move and You May Not Even Know

1) I don't totally understand the whole deal as far as tracking as described in the article. I am a bit confused by it, because I am sure that with the cell phones my family has had, it is a very simple set up function to turn on or off the "GPS" or location function so that even 911 cannot find where your cell is. I know because reading the instructions for set up when we all got phones during a family crisis, I wanted to make sure it was on for one chronically ill parent and my disabled brother and off for myself. the latter because of various and sundry reasons I won't go into.

The instructions said directly that if you turn it off then they can't find you, i.e., warning you that you might be sorry, because then you can't be found if you like have a heart attack. The default is usually that it is on, but you can turn it off.

Of course, all calls are logged by phone companies, but that was the case before cell phones. As far as tracking where your cell phone calls transmit to/from if you have that turned off that location funciton, I dunno much about it. But if you've ever tried to figure out transmission problems as regards cellular service, you'll find that the location of transmitters is real complicated and also kind of like state secrets, that some techies try to figure out and publish on websites by checking out government licenses for new transmitters going up all the time but can never keep up, they are constantly going up all over the place. And if you've tried when traveling to get extra service, like in Mexico and your plan is CDMA and not GSM service, it sure seems that your call is bouncing all over the place.

2) I thought of all of this when I saw the news on China tracking movements of people via the "GPS" function or whatever you want to call it on their cell phones when they were expecting demonstrations, and I wondered whether they only sold them there with the function permanently on. And whether Chinese hackers/techies had figured out how to get around that.

I just caught this.They have

Richard Day — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 17:08:15 +0000

In reply to Your cellphone: It’s Tracking Your Every Move and You May Not Even Know

I just caught this.

They have our addresses and phone numbers of course; they know how old we are and where we work and probably how much we have in our bank accounts.

Now they can sell not only this info to the merchants; they can tell those merchants the addresses of the merchants we visit on a regular basis.

And, of course, we already know that they give this info to the government officials; with or without a warrant.

I am neither surprised nor

EmmaZahn — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 14:21:52 +0000

In reply to Your cellphone: It’s Tracking Your Every Move and You May Not Even Know

I am neither surprised nor alarmed that cellphone companies do this. I do think there should be restrictions on sharing the data even in-house as well as a time limit for its retention.