The Next Privacy Pitfall: Mobile Tracking
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- April 29th, 2011
The allure of a smartphone is the promise of being able to manage your life while on the go. From personal and professional correspondence to bank statements to medical apps that remind you to take your medications, cell phones have become indispensable.
But there’s a dark side to concentrating so much activity through just one device and that’s geolocation. Analyst eMarkter Digital Intelligence reported yesterday that mobile privacy and tracking is the number one hot topic for mobile users and is even of concern to desktop users.
Mobile Information Is The Most Personal of All
TRUSTe and Harris Interactive conducted surveys in February 2011 and reported that the majority of smart phone owners are also concerned.
- More than 1 out of 3 people expressed concerns about mobile privacy
- More than 2 out of 3 were “aware” that mobile advertising tracked their whereabouts
But nothing prepared the world for the news that Apple has been storing up to a year’s worth of location data – where you’ve been and when – in an unencrypted, time-stamped file that was regularly uploaded to Apple servers.
While You’re Waiting
While you’re waiting for Apple to respond to Congress, state and foreign governments there are 2 immediate steps you can take to increase your level of personal privacy:
- Turn off your GPS location services when you’re not using them. Yes, it may be a hassle to toggle them off and on, but it’s worth it
- Turn off “geotagging” for your mobile photographs. You may be broadcasting your location without meaning to.
Take a look at CNET’s video “How To Disable Mobile GeoTagging” to fastrack the process of securing your iPhone, Android or Blackberry device.
Some say that tracking and reduced privacy are just a part of the mobile equation. Others demand regulations. What do you think?