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Your Own Mini-Stalker

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the keep-it-in-your-pants dept.

kashif.ahsan writes "A ComputerWorld article discusses the inherent privacy dangers of carrying around our ubiquitous technological assistants. They're like miniature stalkers, right there in your pocket. 'Camera phones contain all the necessary ingredients for completely invasive stalking: a microphone, camera, personal data on the user, location information, a chat and call history — you name it. And victims carry them everywhere they go. All that's missing is the software that lets stalkers take control ... new software, called snoopware, does just that.'"

16 of 109 comments (clear)

  1. If I've got stalkers... by Kelbear · · Score: 3, Funny

    Does this make me a celebrity?

    My god...then it's true! I /AM/ important on the internet! Woohoo!

  2. Ooooooh Kaaaaay.... by Zadaz · · Score: 5, Funny

    And carrying a remote control is like having a little telekinetic friend.

  3. Temporary fix by zantolak · · Score: 3, Funny

    Take out the battery and SIM card, and tape over the camera and microphone when you aren't using it.

  4. THAT certainly scared me! by SamP2 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So let's get this straight...

    - I'm already being spied on by close-circuit cameras planted everywhere short of the public toilet (may be wrong on that one as well)
    - Government agencies and their friendly associates already have records of my name, sex, DOB, address, occupation, salary, and other "general statistics"
    - Corporate spyware already records my keystrokes, browsing habits, shopping history, porn preferences, dubious sources of owned MP3s, financial credentials, political views, and probably things I don't even know about

    And now you are trying to tell me I need to be scared of my 4x3 inch PDA? Right, because OBVIOUSLY that's the only thing threatening my privacy!

    1. Re:THAT certainly scared me! by Yvanhoe · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You're carrying a microphone that is made in order to transmit voice wirelessly, you probably have it on in your pocket, at voice reach during all of your private conversation and you rely on a non-disclosed, neither third-party-approved proprietary software running on proprietary hardware to prevent it from spying on you.

      Of course threats to privacy are multiple, but this issue has a very serious potential. It is good to educate people about this fact.

      --
      The Wise adapts himself to the world. The Fool adapts the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the Fool.
    2. Re:THAT certainly scared me! by Dragonslicer · · Score: 4, Funny

      Obviously you have something to hide. Namely C and D.

  5. One minor point... by geekyMD · · Score: 3, Insightful
    I can barely get my camera to sync with my computer with a wire, as it is I just yank the SD. Good luck getting software to make it wireless now.

    If someone is willing to violate my personal space and physically take my stuff, I might suggest stalking my filing cabinet instead.
    It never moves and has way more juicy data than my latest vacation photos and lunch planning.

    1. Re:One minor point... by Qrlx · · Score: 3, Funny

      Can't sync your camera? That's one of the symptoms of the stalker virus!

  6. FUD by petes_PoV · · Score: 3, Insightful
    victims? stalkers?

    Given that all of these appliances are carried voluntarily and have an off switch, this story has no merit at all.

    At best it's the basis for a (rather bad and technically unsound) horror story. At worst it helps spread fear and paranoia - as if we didn't have enough real problems to worry about.

    --
    politicians are like babies' nappies: they should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons
    1. Re:FUD by Tony+Hoyle · · Score: 3, Insightful

      So they received an SMS from someone they didn't know. Clicked on it and it said that it wanted to install something. They said yes.

      It's very likely the app didn't have a legit certificate so the phone said 'this application is untrusted. continue anyway?' and they said yes.

      The app then installed itself.. now it has to send data to the internet. because it doesn't have a proper certificate every time it starts up it'll say 'allow access to the internet?' and each time they're *still* clicking 'yes'!!!

      (examples taken from symbian.. messages on Windows mobile are probably different)

      This isn't snoopware it's bloody stupidware.

  7. Re:Personal infromation by 19thNervousBreakdown · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Nah, it's possible. All you need, and this is really easy--trust me--all your need is to write an application that can run on any weird-endian processor, hundreds of different micro-oses, or in the case of java-supporting phones, break out of the java sandbox, or on brew phones just get yourself the developer certificate from qualcomm and then get the carrier to distribute your app to their customers.

    This is going to be huge.

    ...

    Well, there's always BlackBerry and Windows Mobile.

    --
    <xml><I><am><so><damn>Web 2.0</damn></so></am></I></xml>
  8. That's a feature by oheso · · Score: 5, Interesting

    In Japan it's marketed as a feature. You can stalk your kids as they walk from school to home (with various detours into convenience stores to read the manga, etc.). There's an ad with some kid walking home and everywhere he goes there are black hats videoing him and speaking into lapel microphones.

  9. Re:Holy crap! People can see me? by SamP2 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    >18-year-old

    Way to contribute to the very same problem you are complaining of being treated with (prejudice and irrelevant facts being taken into account).

    It's sick to see governments repeatedly marginalize young drivers' rights by blanket higher premiums, harder process to get a car, tougher fines for exactly the same offences, and restrictions which don't apply to older drivers. And I'm not talking about "novice" vs "veteran", I'm talking about real age being taken into account (and even if you are above the legal age of majority you still may be considered "young" for these purposes).

    Look, just because there are SOME asshole teens who zip by your street in their pimped out Civic doing 160mph with music so loud you see the windshields vibrating, doesn't mean ALL young drives drive this way, and there should not be a blanket prejudice towards all younger drivers.

    Seeing you whine for suffering the consequences of people with big loans being put in the same category as bad drivers for insurance purposes, while implying young drivers should get higher premiums just because they are young, is hypocritical at best.

  10. The linked article is seems to be highly overrated by xk0der · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I still can't figure out how the hell the so called "hacker" was able to install the so called "snoopware" into their new phones?? ... were these people soooo stupid to have their Bluetooth turned on, or installing any xyz application sent by a person they don't even know??

    May be the MMS or SMS they received with the "snoopware" had the title "P0rn" ...

    Apart from this .. the article seems too far fetched from reality! (IMO)

    --
    Therez light! : aHR0cDovL3hrMGRlci53b3JkcHJlc3MuY29t
  11. Re:Personal infromation by Antique+Geekmeister · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I love Google so much. Look for "blackberry snoopware" and see references like this.

    http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/tech-news/?p=785

    Given the Blackberry popularity among the "power tie" crowd and among their account managers, if I were a stock investor interested in gaining some nsider information, or a reporter willing to bend some laws, I'd be sitting at the booth at Infoworld or the Republican national convention monitoring as much data as possible.

  12. Re:Hillbilly by runep · · Score: 3, Funny

    Sounds more to me like he's suggesting to nuke the site from orbit.