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CELLPHONE PRIVACY
For news stories on the use of cellphone cameras to invade privacy, see the
Surveillance section. For news stories on instant message "spim," see the Chat and Instant Messaging section




China's tech commissars target SMS porn
"China's Ministry of Information Industry, the regulator of telecom, Internet and information-technology development, said it is targeting cell-phone smut."
Full story - UPI
Submitted by Anonymous, Tue Sep 27 14:23:17 EDT 2005



China's porno text spammers "have gone too far," says MII
"China is expected to pass its first comprehensive law regarding short messaging service (SMS) soon, by which pornography SMS senders will be punished, Shen Yongtao, a director of Telecom Regulation Bureau under the Ministry of Information Industry (MII) told Interfax."
Full story - Interfax
Submitted by Anonymous, Mon Sep 26 08:05:18 EDT 2005



Court Nixes Some Ads Sent to Cell Phones
"The unanimous ruling by a three-judge Court of Appeals panel upholds a trial judge's pretrial ruling in favor of a man who had sued a mortgage company in 2001 after it sent two unsolicited text messages to his cell phone. Rodney L. Joffe claimed that the calls by Acacia Mortgage Corp. violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991."
Full story - BizReport
Submitted by Anonymous, Wed Sep 21 16:28:18 EDT 2005



Paris Hilton hacker sent to jail
"Reports vary on how the teenager got access to Ms Hilton's handset. One account claims he tricked a T-Mobile worker into telling him a password for the firm's internal computer system. Another claims he tricked an employee into opening an e-mail infected with a virus that helped him get access."
Full story - BBC
Submitted by Anonymous, Fri Sep 16 12:12:16 EDT 2005



MIT researchers map city by cellphone
"Researchers at MIT may not be able to hear your cellphone call, but they have found a way to see it. They mapped a city in real time by tracking tens of thousands of people traveling about carrying cellphones."
Full story - physorg.com
Submitted by Anonymous, Fri Sep 16 10:57:56 EDT 2005



Cell phone operators in Japan working to filter out harmful sites
"... cell-phone operators in Japan are working to introduce Internet filtering software for cell phones to protect children from pornographic and other harmful sites, it has emerged. Many parents find it more difficult to control Internet content on children's cell phones than on home computers, and police have welcomed the idea of a filtering function, saying it would help prevent crime."
Full story - MSN Japan
Submitted by Anonymous, Thu Sep 15 13:06:17 EDT 2005



Theft of Verizon Wireless Customer Records By Tennessee Company Halted
"Verizon Wireless announced today that it has secured a court order to halt a Tennessee-based company's illegal practice of obtaining and selling confidential telephone records of Verizon Wireless customers."
Full story - finanzen.net
Submitted by Anonymous, Thu Sep 15 09:25:51 EDT 2005



Ethical guide to hacking mobile phones from Fadia
"Hackers today have a new technological device to target.. The awareness, however, with regard to the various methods by which mobile devices can be hacked and how this can be avoided is minuscule.. "We have always assumed that data stored on mobile phones is safe. Today we use our mobile phones to send sensitive data, store important information and even digitally sign on major documents. There is, therefore, greater threat to data security on mobile phones today.""
Full story - Business Standard
Submitted by Anonymous, Wed Sep 14 15:59:16 EDT 2005



Coming for Cell Phones: 411
"The times are changing. Starting next year, millions of cell phone users will be available through the same 411 service that lists standard phone numbers, and there are moves afoot to include VOIP telephone numbers in phone directories, as well."
Full story - Ecommerce Times
Submitted by Anonymous, Sun Sep 11 09:34:44 EDT 2005



Fear over EU phone details plan
"EU ministers' plans to store details of every mobile phone call in Europe were subjected to a barrage of criticism from the industry. Experts said they feared the details they are being asked to store for at least 12 months - so police can track terrorists and crime gangs - would breach existing European privacy laws."
Full story - Daily Mail
Submitted by Anonymous, Thu Sep 8 16:18:43 EDT 2005



Mobile Service Protects Customers' Privacy
"SK Telecom starts privacy-protecting Well Being Call service blocking incoming calls on Sunday and holidays with the exception of calls from preliminarily defined emergency callers, the mobile operator announced on Wednesday."
Full story - Telecoms Korea
Submitted by Anonymous, Wed Sep 7 11:17:34 EDT 2005



Verizon Wireless Sues Telemarketers
""We just consider it to be a tremendous invasion of privacy," Verizon Wireless spokeswoman Robin Nicol said Friday. "Customers look at their wireless phones as one of the last bastions of privacy that they have.""
Full story - CIO Today
Submitted by Anonymous, Tue Sep 6 13:36:44 EDT 2005



Camera Phones Give Flashers Unexpected Exposure
"When the stranger on the subway car unzipped his fly and started fondling himself, Thao Nguyen, 23, did what any woman confronted by a flasher might like to do. She took out her cellphone, snapped him in the act with its built-in camera, then posted the image online."
Full story - L.A. Times
Submitted by Anonymous, Tue Sep 6 09:10:33 EDT 2005



Police blotter: Cell phone tracking rejected
"In the first case of its kind, a federal judge chastises the U.S. Department of Justice for trying to constantly track a cell phone user's location without providing any proof of criminal behavior."
Full story - CNet News
Submitted by Anonymous, Fri Sep 2 18:14:54 EDT 2005



Verizon Wireless files its first lawsuit against telemarketers
"Verizon Wireless is suing telemarketing companies in Florida and California, accusing them of illegally soliciting the company's cell phone users, making more than 1 million calls to its customers this summer."
Full story - centredaily.com
Submitted by Anonymous, Fri Sep 2 18:07:11 EDT 2005



Handphone move a violation of people's privacy
"Kuala Lumpur: The checking of headphones by the police for obscene or pornographic images is a violation of an individual's privacy, the Bar Council said. The police should only check people suspected of downloading smut to their handphones, said Bar Council President Yeoh Yong Poh."
Full story - Information Week
Submitted by Anonymous, Fri Sep 2 15:02:31 EDT 2005



Top 10 Mobile Device Privacy Policies
"People are storing more types of confidential information on mobile computing devices than their employers or they themselves know. Think about where you keep your credit card and bank account numbers, passwords, and confidential e-mails. What about strategic information about your organization? Merger or takeover plans? Information that could impact stock values?"
Full story - Information Week
Submitted by Anonymous, Fri Sep 2 15:00:03 EDT 2005



Lawsuit Says Apparent Use Of Auto-Dialers and Pre-recorded Messages In Calls To Cell Phones Violated Federal, State Laws (press release)
"... In separate lawsuits, believed to be the first of their kind by a U.S. wireless provider against telemarketing firms, Verizon Wireless is seeking injunctions against the two companies, Intelligent Alternatives of San Diego, CA, and Resort Marketing Trends of Coral Springs, FL, that apparently made hundreds of thousands of calls to cell phone customers using pre-recorded messages and auto-dialers in violation of the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act as well as state laws."
Full story - PR Newswire
Submitted by Anonymous, Thu Sep 1 10:04:39 EDT 2005



Dutch police send 17,000 text messages in hunt for soccer hooligans
"In a high-tech hunt for hooligans, Dutch police sent 17,000 text messages Wednesday to mobile phones of fans who attended a soccer match between rival clubs Ajax and Feyenoord in Rotterdam last season... Phone companies voluntarily handed over the mobile phone numbers of people who were in or around Feyenoord's Kuip stadium on the day of the match - traceable using broadcasting masts in the area."
Full story - FOX Sports
Submitted by Anonymous, Wed Aug 31 12:49:58 EDT 2005








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