Feb 08
Privacy continues to be in the headlines. Companies and governments are garnering and analyzing information that they obtain through means some find questionable in unprecedented ways.
Recently, I wrote a column about Carrier IQ’s business of allegedly tracking cell data. Many readers use Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) maps and rely on the Google Traffic tool to indicate whether traffic is moving or stalled, but the fact that Google uses Global Positioning System data from wireless devices is often a surprise.
Wireless devices (cellsphones and tablets) can tell others where you are at any given moment. Websites and blogs track usage including what pages users view and the time spent on each page, and other trackers even can tell whether users open email. With a user’s permission, based on Google’s Terms of Service, Google reads gmails electronically to pinpoint the type of advertising the writer or recipient might respond to. The list goes on.
We are now seeing lawsuits in which wireless data is critical evidence. However, there is a certain amount of public outrage, which has led to congressional hearings to address the sense of invasion of privacy that people are feeling. Companies are listening. Recently, in reaction to the public outcry about the disclosure that Carrier IQ was surreptitiously collecting user data, Sprint (NYSE: S) announced that Carrier IQ would be removed from its 26 million devices.
To Continue Reading:
Recently, I wrote a column about Carrier IQ’s business of allegedly tracking cell data. Many readers use Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) maps and rely on the Google Traffic tool to indicate whether traffic is moving or stalled, but the fact that Google uses Global Positioning System data from wireless devices is often a surprise.
Wireless devices (cellsphones and tablets) can tell others where you are at any given moment. Websites and blogs track usage including what pages users view and the time spent on each page, and other trackers even can tell whether users open email. With a user’s permission, based on Google’s Terms of Service, Google reads gmails electronically to pinpoint the type of advertising the writer or recipient might respond to. The list goes on.
We are now seeing lawsuits in which wireless data is critical evidence. However, there is a certain amount of public outrage, which has led to congressional hearings to address the sense of invasion of privacy that people are feeling. Companies are listening. Recently, in reaction to the public outcry about the disclosure that Carrier IQ was surreptitiously collecting user data, Sprint (NYSE: S) announced that Carrier IQ would be removed from its 26 million devices.
To Continue Reading: