How safe is your cell phone from hackers?
As it so happens, researchers have recently discovered that cell phones are generally rather easy to hack into. 
According to Don Bailey (a security consultant with iSec Partners) and Nick DePetrillo (an independent researcher) – thanks to GPS capabilities in cell phones these days, these researchers were able to track a mobile ph0oen users whereabouts – gage their movements and even interactions with others.
Not many consumers and cell phone users are aware of the fact that their every movement and almost every aspect of their lives is being monitored, captured, crunched, aggregated and analyzed. If you are anything like me, privacy is a major priority and this type of ‘spying’ on consumers is somewhat creepy.
It has been shown that Smart phones, for example the iPhone, can detect where the cell phone holder is standing, what direction they are facing, if and when movement occurs, who was standing next to them, where they are going, what was sent in text messages and emails, to whom, and so forth. Basically every little detail about the cell phone holders’ life is captured and sent to interested parties, so as to complete the digital data mining cycle.
But all is not lost. The information gathered by these digital date mining analysts could very well be used for the greater good of society, if the information acquired is put to good use.
For instance: geolocation data gathered from various Smart phones could potentially track traffic congestion along motorways, this way allowing for the re-routing of traffic, so that it will flow better. Another example – is via patient data mining – where one can be informed if they have come into contact with an individual riddled with a contagious disease of sorts.
The problem exists in the fact that there are no protection policies out there, or rules of engagement for the use of the digital data collected.
In the instance of health data – what if the individual containing the contagious virus does not want their health status to be made public? It’s these types of issues that need to be addressed.
The way Bailey and DePetrillo described their invasion itno a mobile phones’ data is as follows:
“We create a dossier about someone’s life over a period of time. We’re able to infer things about an individual’s behavior and interactions with the company they work for [as well]“.
This all serves to illustrate the transparency with which mobile phones and communication pathways operate in this digital era. Whether this is something welcomed or not lies entirely up to each individual, I would say.
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