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Lumia Phones Leaking Private Data To Microsoft
New submitter Albietta writes "Two independent sources inside Nokia have confirmed that Nokia Lumia phones send private information to Nokia and Microsoft servers around the world. Location data, SMS-messages and browser identification is uploaded. The Nokia leadership has known about the privacy violation since 2011 when the Lumia phones were introduced. In spring 2013, after suspicions of leaks and during the negotiations for selling off the mobile phone branch to Microsoft, the Finnish state communications department sent an inquiry to Nokia regarding leaking of private data, asking Nokia to assure that users' private data is not leaked. Nokia did not want to (or could not) provide an assurance due to the delicate business negotiations. After two more inquiries with narrower demands, Nokia assured that the phone, excluding third-party software such as the operating system, did not violate Finnish privacy laws. Microsoft is apparently also following Lumia user accounts. On one occasion a parent's Lumia account was closed without warning when they uploaded pictures from the phone displaying their kids playing naked on the beach at their summer cottage."
That looks like it is deliberate.
Had it only gone to Nokias servers then it could have been an accident - not removing certain debugging code for instance used to tracing.
But sending to Microsoft servers as well as Nokia servers... that is more like a deliberate action.
Nokia assured that the phone, excluding third-party software such as the operating system, did not violate Finnish privacy laws.
How much non-3rd party software does a Nokia phone ship with? I mean, if you aren't including the OS on the phone as Nokia's responsibility, than what exactly are they responsible for?
On one occasion a parent's Lumia account was closed without warning when they uploaded pictures from the phone displaying their kids playing naked on the beach at their summer cottage.
This says more about the hysteria in certain industrialized markets where all nudity is considered sexual for the purposes of zero tolerance regulations against production of alleged child porn. See also prosecutions of parents who photograph their children in the bathtub.
A sieve doesn't leak, it does what it's designed to do
Seems a little light on actual proof there, even the source doesn't have a source for the magical "Lumia account closed as the user is a paedo" comment
Witty Comment Here
I recall that it was stated in clear language that SMSes will be uploaded if I choose some option during initial setup for my Lumia.
And if they mean skydrive onedrive account as "Lumia user account", then I wouldn't be surprised that Microsoft screens uploaded (public?) pictures. Similar like Google screens youtube videos.
http://www.gta04.org/ or http://neo900.org/
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I think you miss what they mean when they say people. See, when the NSA spys on nameless faceless Americans, that, is surveillance. Its not victimizing people. However, when they spy on someone like Angela Merkel; that is an outrage, because she is a real person with a face and a name....she is someone who matters.
Corperations are people like Angela Merkel is a person. They are real, they matter. They are not you, some nameless faceless peon; barely fit to eat the scraps a real person drops from their table.
"I opened my eyes, and everything went dark again"
There's also a side story in this scoop which involves Nokia allegedly handing over user data to Finnish police without a warrant.
YLE Uutiset - Police chief to look into Nokia phone spying claims
This looks like a mountain being made out of a molehill. From TFA: "Lumia phones do not ensure the user’s privacy – at least no better than the phones of other big manufacturers"
When you use a WP8 device, you are signed in using a Microsoft Account. Features like SMS backup, location services such as "Find My Phone" etc need to send data back to MS in order to work. In fact when you first sign into a phone this is made explicitly clear, as it is during the install of any apps on the phone that require, say, location based services. So whilst the implication of this article appears to be that there's something shady and underhand going on, until someone shows me a wireshark trace that shows it, I'm calling BS.
1. Find my phone option can't be opted out of there is no way to not have the device send location to Microsoft and still be able to use the device in even a remotely meaningful way.
2. It is not possible to not be complicit in Microsofts skyhook WiFi location mapping system.
3. When your device connects to a WiFi network it sends unique device identifiers in the clear over the network there is no way to stop it.
4. Wireless security 100% completely utterly insecure by design due to total failure of device to validate certificate chain.
5. Impossible for mortals to perform basic functions available as standard features on decades old "feature phones" such as contact synchronization without having to upload all of your contact information to Microsoft. My contacts are none of Microsoft's goddamn business.
Windows phone 8 is designed to violate your privacy at every turn while locking you into their curated app store.