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Cell Phone Records for Sale
tabdelgawad writes "The Washington Post has a good writeup on how 'data brokers' use various techniques to obtain cell phone records of individuals then offer them for sale to anyone who will pay. The data is obtained by either bribing phone company employees, or 'pretexting', or accessing unregistered customer accounts online. Although phone companies are the only source of this information (unlike, say SSNs which are available from many sources), one Cingular spokesman was quoted as saying that this is 'an infinitesimally small problem'."
This is basically a candied way of saying "there's only a few ways they can do it, so don't worry about it."
Wrong. Compromise is as easy as one... that's right, one point of failure.
It's still a vulnerability.
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It is a tiny problem for them, because it hasn't started to cost them money. They could give half a crap if my info was sold to anyone, it doesn't effect them at all.
There is quite a bit that could be done with this data, from it you can build social webs, For example Bob bought a brand new *foo* Brad is his friend, so perhap we can intrest Brad in a loan to also purchase a *foo*.
I am sure there are dozens of other things that could be found from this info.
I say make the company who releases my personal information pay me a hefty chunk of change, and it will stop being a tiny problem for them.
I used to have a cool sig, back when I cared
If phone companies are the only source, but are selling these records, they won't be the only source for very long, so won't it become a much larger problem pretty quickly?
Is the cell phone company guilty for releasing your call history? What was on your cell phone history for last month? Did you call your psychiatrist to reschedule? Did you call an aborition clinic? Did you call your mistress? And do you want anyone knowing this information.
What I can't figure out is, how does a firm keep updating the call history?
Or should the laws punish the people who steal the data? For example, if a private investigator obtains your phone history, should that PI go to jail?
The new world of no privacy anywhere is getting ridiculous. Between having all your private information made public, having cell phones with cameras, websites with upskirt photos, and maps that image your house from space, there is nothing personal anymore. What is next, video cameras in toilet stalls to make sure thieft is not happening?
Rosco: "If brains were gunpowder, Enos couldn't blow his nose."
This is a security hole, as TFA sort of mentions in passing, that makes it easy for domestic-violence perpetrators and stalkers to victimize people...
... and what do we get from those responsible? "Infinitesimal problem."
Think maybe it's time to stop trusting these companies to regulate themselves?
Social Engineering will always be a security issue no matter how secure we get with hardware and software. Someone will always have access to all the records and keeping his mouth shut is not something computer geeks can do.
What does your Credit Report look like?
By coincidence, today's paper had an article on the Do Not Call Registry, in which your cell phone stays on record for five years.
Eternity: will that be smoking, or non-smoking? I Corinthians 6:9-10
well net10 is a tracphone service, and tracphone is a favorite for terrorists and subversives alike o.O
it is as anonymous as the security tapes when you buy the phone at wally world and the payphone/internet provider you refill on.
no point in banning them as a stolen cell phone could recieve calls long enough before being reported and locked to be used as a detonator, and 5 mile GMRS radios are untraced and can be used as better detonators due to cell network jamming of critican national security areas like presedential convoys etc.
Snowden and Manning are heroes.
Since your documented fact is in fact untrue. You really need to start taking your medication.
Disposable mobile phones that aren't attached to anyone's personal information sound like they'd be superb for terrorists. I hate acting like the alarmist, hypersensitive newsmedia, but it's true. A communications device which cannot be traced back to a person and can also be used as a very handy little detonator...
So what? Who gives a damn what is useful to terrorists? I don't - spazzing out over what terrorists could do is the most batshit crazy thing you could do. While you're banning things left and right, making a mockery of the USA, all those bad guys are running around totally unfettered. I'd rather have one city a month bombed, just like london, than deal with the TSA and the homeland security bullshit.
"We returned the General to El Salvador, or maybe Guatemala, it's difficult to tell from 10,000 feet"
There's no conspiracy theory so wacky Rense won't give it a favorable writeup.
-- Old Man Kensey