Analyzing Data Retention By Wireless Carriers

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Analyzing Data Retention By Wireless Carriers

Posted by Soulskill on Friday September 30, 2011 @07:16AM from the privacy-on-a-timetable dept.

adeelarshad82 writes "How long does your cell phone carrier retain information about your calls, text messages, and data use? According to data gathered by the Department of Justice, it can be as little as a few days or up to seven years, depending on your provider. The data was made public after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a Freedom of Information Act request related to an investigation into cell phone location tracking by police."

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Better question... by girlintraining · 2011-09-30 07:18 · Score: 2

The better question is, how long do all those wiretaps and secret government networks retain the data? If they can record all the traffic on the internet and store it for several years, I don't think storing cell phone data is even a blip on the radar.
Cell phones->File->'Save All'

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#fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
1. Re:Better question... by aglider · 2011-09-30 07:29 · Score: 1
  
  When finally there will be a P2P network with encryption like DHT used by some ... P2P networks.
  
  --
  Sent as ripples into the electromagnetic field. No single photon has been harmed in the process.
2. Re:Better question... by aglider · 2011-09-30 07:31 · Score: 0
  
  ... I'd need a few mod points and a value for "-5: Too stopid to be scored as -1: Troll".
  
  --
  Sent as ripples into the electromagnetic field. No single photon has been harmed in the process.
3. Re:Better question... by Jeng · 2011-09-30 07:34 · Score: 2
  
  I would figure that due the massive amounts of data collected that they do not store all of the data, but instead just data meets a certain requirements.
  Such as calls that the word Allah may have been used, or internet posts that mention infidel or ammonia nitrate. Stuff along those lines.
  
  --
  Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
4. Re:Better question... by NevarMore · 2011-09-30 07:50 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  $ 2011-09-30 15:34 User: Jeng
  Key words detected: Allah (ammonium nitrate) stuff lines
  Begin Permanent Logging
  Add to TSA Grope List
5. Re:Better question... by SilentChasm · 2011-09-30 07:50 · Score: 2
  
  When finally there will be a P2P network with encryption like DHT used by some ... P2P networks.
  Do you mean a P2P network with encryption and DHT, because "encryption like DHT" doesn't exactly make sense to me (DHT is not encryption).
  While it doesn't have DHT, a thing like RetroShare might be what you're looking for. Have a look at dark and friend-to-friend networks, too.
6. Re:Better question... by Jeng · 2011-09-30 08:17 · Score: 2
  
  If they are keeping track of people they have probably been keeping track of me since 2005 when I posted this beauty.
  
  If I was forming a militia assault weapons and an M1A1 would be right at the top of my list, I just wouldn't want the militia to be publicly known especially by the government since they are the ones that the militia would be there to keep in check.
  I think the militia argument is abit off. The first militia's afaik were not truly orginized, but more of hunter bob and hunter fred knocking off a couple red coats. As things progressed they got more of their buddies to help out, then got orginized as they went up against larger targets. The right to bear arms imo is the right to keep a gun around in case you want to help shoot members of the government, oh and um also home defense and hunting of course.
  
  --
  Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
7. Re:Better question... by davester666 · 2011-09-30 16:58 · Score: 1
  
  They have no need for a TSA Grope List, because everybody is already on it.
  
  --
  Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
8. Re:Better question... by aglider · 2011-09-30 21:12 · Score: 1
  
  I meant:
  a P2P (network with encryption) like DHT
  That is a network modeled after DHT and supporting encryption.
  
  --
  Sent as ripples into the electromagnetic field. No single photon has been harmed in the process.
1984 by Squidlips · 2011-09-30 07:39 · Score: 3, Insightful

As Stallman says, "Cellphones are Stalin's dream". Keep the phone off when not in use and use them as little as possible. I supposed that at some time in the near future we will be required to keep it on (some states such as The People's Republic of Massachusetts is considering mandating GPS trackers in cars).
1. Re:1984 by erroneus · 2011-09-30 07:42 · Score: 2
  
  Apple is already doing that with their non-replaceable batteries.
  I still get deer-in-headlights reactions when I tell them that their iphones are never really off.
2. Re:1984 by maxume · 2011-09-30 07:44 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  The trick is to structure a society that avoids letting Stalins act on their dreams, living your life in a way that protects you from things potential Stalins might do is not living at all.
  
  --
  Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
3. Re:1984 by Bucky24 · 2011-09-30 07:49 · Score: 1
  
  If you keep it off then how will others call you?
  
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  All the world's a CPU, and all the men and women merely AI agents
4. Re:1984 by Anonymous Coward · 2011-09-30 07:54 · Score: 0
  
  As if someone that paranoid has friends who would be calling?
5. Re:1984 by Squidlips · 2011-09-30 08:10 · Score: 0
  
  Gawd, you young pups must think that we were living in caves and wearing animal skins before cellphones became available. It is hard to believe, but somehow we survived. Oh, The Horror. Actually animal skins were pretty popular then...hmmm
6. Re:1984 by Anonymous Coward · 2011-09-30 13:21 · Score: 0
  
  How is any diffrent then POTS or your ISP keeping the same logs? Nothing special about cellphones....
7. Re:1984 by Vegemeister · 2011-09-30 17:26 · Score: 1
  
  Are you suggesting a fragile social solution in favor of a technical one?
  
  AHAHAHAHAHAHA!
8. Re:1984 by swalve · 2011-10-01 03:34 · Score: 1
  
  A social solution is hard to implement, but even harder to de-implement. Analogy: kids are stupid and do stupid things. How do we solve that? Instead of building foam barricades that stop them from doing stupid things, we teach them how to be less stupid. And once a kid learns not to run into traffic, there is very little you can do to convince them to run into the path of a Freightliner.
  
  A population that is aware of how dictators work and able to recognize the behavior will be more likely to stop it when they see it. If they are ignorant of those ways, but protected by some technological structure, will have no defense when some hole in the technology develops. (Further, a technological solution gives power to those who know the technology.)
  
  Laws work the same way, and among some people/cultures, have sort of failed. Instead of teaching people why not to speed or not to murder people, we teach them not to do it because they will be caught. this leads to a mindset that says that you can do those things if you know you won't be caught, or don't care about the consequences.
9. Re:1984 by swalve · 2011-10-01 03:36 · Score: 1
  
  The friend will hit up their sweet alpha pager, of course.
Interestingly enough by jhoegl · 2011-09-30 07:50 · Score: 1

I received an email just last night to opt out of data mining and ads on my cel phone from Verizon Wireless.

I of course, took them up on the offer and noted that you must do this for any new cel phone # you have on your account.
a few days sounds unlikely by Anonymous Coward · 2011-09-30 08:22 · Score: 1

speaking as someone who works in the industry, i believe that the responses are somewhat skewed. while the provider may not hold the data for more than a few days, the billing vendor certainly holds on to at least thirty days, and probably ninety. billing disputes and errors can get ugly when there's no back-up to go to.
additionally, there's always the lingering legal question...when you deal with multiple municipalities and 'legal zones', it gets hairy knowing when to provide data, when not to provide data, what data makes sense to share or keep secret, and when a subpoena is legitimate...regardless of what YOU think, it's tough to be a technical person dealing with lawyers and the law when it comes to the government.
i personally have been on the phone with (alleged) frantic officials without proper legal documentation trying to deal with a cell phone tied to a bomb scare, and keeping my customers' rights from being violated when the lives of children are in danger is not as simple to deal with in real time as one might think.
1. Re:a few days sounds unlikely by Anonymous Coward · 2011-10-01 01:28 · Score: 0
  
  Sounds like social engineering worked out quite well for those "frantic" officials. Protip: They could get a warrant for your fucking blood if they wanted it. If there was any legitimate threat it would not be up to you, but they can give you that impression and save themselves some paperwork.
Direct link to tracking info by fluffy99 · 2011-09-30 08:30 · Score: 1

http://www.pcmag.com/image_popup/0,1740,iid=313504,00.asp
Curious that a few things are missing, such as "voice call content" and "GPS Location". Does IP session information include the content?
Data Retention PDF by E.I.A · 2011-09-30 13:00 · Score: 4, Informative

http://cryptome.org/isp-spy/cellular-spy.pdf -- Shows retention durations of a few major providers, and lists various types of data retentions.

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Laws are like sausages. It's better not to see them being made. - Otto von Bismarck