Achieve3000: Lesson
Page 1 of 2
Printed by: William Owens
Printed on: November 5, 2014
Are Smartphones Too Smart?
Article
SAN FRANCISCO, California (Achieve3000, May 19, 2011).
Today, smartphones are everywhere. People have come to rely on the
device's many convenient functions, including everything from
making phone calls and sending e-mails to accessing the Internet and
running apps. Some smartphones can even track a user's geographic
location. The phones can then use that information to send things like
weather reports and discount offers for nearby restaurants. But some
smartphones do more—whether you know about it or not. They
record that location data and transmit it to cellular companies. This
news recently came as a shock to some smartphone users. These
users expressed outrage at what they consider an invasion of their
digital privacy.
Photo credit: AP Photo
Some cell phone companies track
and store location data recorded by
smartphones.
The debate about location data erupted in April 2011 after a technology conference in San Francisco, California. At the
conference, security researchers revealed that some smartphones assemble a small file of location coordinates on their
users. That file is then sent to certain cell phone companies. According to researchers, some companies save the
information on databases for a year or more. They use it for their own research.
Cell phone companies have since defended the practice. They explained that they use the data to route Internet traffic
and phone signals. This enables people to get online and to make and answer calls. The companies also commented that
news of location data collection should not come as a shock to customers. They say that any information sharing is in
fact done with the user's permission. The companies pointed out that the practice is clearly spelled out in user
agreements and privacy policies.
But many smartphone users deny that they were informed of the practice. They say they are disturbed by the notion that
cellular companies—and anyone who gets their hands on the phones—could potentially view the information and see
exactly where they've been.
"It's like being stalked by a secret organization. Outrageous!" said Jill Kuraitis, a journalist in Idaho. "To be actively
tracking millions of people without notification? It's beyond unacceptable."
Some lawmakers say smartphone users are right to be concerned. Storing the data, they say, creates an opportunity for
one's private information to be misused. Privacy defenders note that the tracking of users' location data opens a big
window into private details of a person's life. That includes the doctors they see, the friends they have, and the places
they like to spend their time. In addition, databases filled with such information could become inviting targets for
hackers or other parties with questionable aims. Legal experts are urging people to start thinking about location data as
valuable and worth protecting. They should treat the data just as they would a wallet or bank account number.
Web developer Dawn Anderson agrees. Anderson turned off the location-finding feature on her smartphone even
before the latest debate began. "We don't know what [companies are] going to do with that information," she said.
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Achieve3000: Lesson
Page 2 of 2
Printed by: William Owens
Printed on: November 5, 2014
Are Smartphones Too Smart?
"With any technology, there are security risks and breaches. How do we know that it can't be compromised in some
way and used for criminal things?"
But like it or not, the practice is—for now—legal.
The government prohibits telephone companies from sharing location information and other customer data with outside
parties without first getting the customer's consent. But those rules don't apply to mobile services offered through apps.
What's more, because those rules were written for traditional telephone service, it's unclear whether they apply to
mobile phone service at all. Nor is it clear if the rules even apply to wireless carriers that are also traditional phone
companies, like AT&T and Verizon.
Both the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission have said they are investigating the
issue. For now, though, smartphone users must decide for themselves: Which matters more to them—privacy or
convenience?
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Dictionary
access (verb) to get to something
breach (noun) a failure to keep something safe
function (noun)
purpose, feature, or use
privacy (noun)
the freedom to keep things secret
transmit (verb)
to send something from one place or person to another
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