A couple weeks ago I wrote an article about the impact of privacy and how it relates to online picture posts. I received a host of follow-up questions; mostly from concerned parents. As a parent, I’m also torn between protecting my daughters’ online privacy and at the same time allowing them some freedoms.
Cell phones have matured to a level of sophistication rivaling computers in a couple ways. Phone technology has finally broken the gigahertz barrier which makes the processor and specifications on par with computers fast enough to handle Windows XP comfortably. Phone operating systems have also come full circle with offerings from Android, Apple and Microsoft that make phones function like computers.
With all the upsides to modern phones come downsides. As with most of my articles, I am going to focus on the pessimistic side of all this technology. Phones have the ability to do a lot more than allow voice chatting and texting. Don’t get me wrong, though I enjoy technology I also know there are some downsides.
I mentioned global positioning system (GPS) and the impact it has on mobile picture taking. GPS, by default, is enabled on most smart phones. This means that unless the user turns GPS off your phone will know where you are. Location, pictures, and websites can track your location.
Who cares? Have you ever thought of the implications of having your applications know where you’re located? Android, owned by Google, generates revenue through advertising. I’ve noticed many of the ads on my Android based phone are for companies relatively close to my location. If I’m in a new town and I want a pizza my phone will generate a list of restaurants close to me.
Just this morning I read an advertisement for a piece of software that is specifically designed to track mobile users. The ad boasted the ability to monitor location, view pictures, intercept text messages, etc. This sounds like an incredible breach of privacy. From my experiences with removing viruses from PC’s, this sounds a lot like a virus.
I’ve already mentioned websites like ICanStalkU.com that actively scans social networking sites for privacy and location breaches. Since writing that article I’ve found two other sites which function similarly. A reader brought FourSquare.com to my attention. FourSquare is a social networking site that makes use of the GPS location and actively posts your location. Google Maps promotes its ability to map users so their “friends” can see you in real-time.
The nature of a virus or trojan is that it installs without the user’s knowledge and monitors computer activities. Modern trojans tend to seek out private information and share it with the intent of generating profits for its creator. My belief is that phones, software, and websites are making it too easy for people to intercept our private data. Think about this, as phone technology matures so does our reliance on it.
Walking through the mall this weekend I noticed that most young people have cell phones in-hand either talking or texting. I couldn’t count the number of pictures being taken. What if one third the phones in use had viruses? If that number sounds high, I don’t think it’s unreasonable. According to the FBI, approximately 30% of computers have been attacked by viruses.
There are some steps you can take to prevent this. First, and hopefully most obvious is to disable GPS. Depending on your operating system, a handful of virus solutions have been developed which function similarly to PC software. If you’re truly worried, only download applications from known sources.
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can e-mail him at remoquin@gmail.com or call him directly at (978) 919-8059.)