Tag Archives: Smartphones
Lured by Verizon into Giving up Cellphone Privacy
by David Lazarus, Los Angeles Times
Similar tactics are employed by practically all other telecom, financial and Internet companies. But Verizon Wireless has been unusually clumsy in its efforts to coax customers into abandoning their privacy. … It’s using the prospect of money-saving deals as an enticement for people agreeing to let the company peer over their shoulder. [One analyst] said programs such as Verizon Smart Rewards represent “a location gold mine” that can be used by wireless carriers for “big data analytics and advertising.” The wireless industry could be looking at nearly $2 billion in extra revenue by 2019. Read More ›
SB 962: Governor Signs Smartphone Kill Switch Legislation
An Assembly floor vote is expected Aug. 7. “The companies that make 97 percent of smartphones sold in the U.S. have removed their opposition to the bill, yet [CTIA-The Wireless Association] remains opposed,” Max Szabo of the District Attorney’s Office told The San Francisco Examiner. “It raises the question of whether these insurance giants are hiding behind this lobbying group in an attempt to protect the profits they’re reaping at the expense of public safety.” Read More ›
Survey: Most smartphone owners support kill switch; industry lobbyists remain opposed
by Jonah Owen Lamb, The San Francisco Examiner
With Senate Bill 962 (Leno) set to go to the Assembly floor Aug. 7, a majority of the public – 99 percent – backs laws requiring shut-off technology in smartphones to combat thefts. “The companies that make 97 percent of smartphones sold in the U.S. have removed their opposition to the bill, yet [CTIA-The Wireless Association] remains opposed,” Max Szabo of the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office said. “It raises the question of whether these insurance giants are hiding behind this lobbying group in an attempt to protect the profits they’re reaping at the expense of public safety.” Read More ›
You’ve been jacked!: On why Sacramento smartphone thefts are big money for thieves and telecoms
by Raheem F. Hosseini, Sacramento News & Review
Stealing a mobile device is the “easiest, quickest way to get your hands on several hundred bucks,” said Richard Holober, executive director of the Consumer Federation of California. Legislative fixes are meeting resistance from a powerful telecommunications industry that rakes in more than $38 billion selling smartphone-theft insurance and replacement mobile devices. Companies like AT&T and Sprint rake in “several billion dollars a year in phone-theft insurance,” said Holober. “This is an industry that pretty much owns the Legislature.” Read More ›
Google Glass is the perfect tool for stealing your phone’s passcode
by Polly Mosendz, The Atlantic Wire
Most people using smart devices have a simple password set up — four digits that protect your phone or tablet from prying eyes and theft. Usually, these passwords are quite easy to protect when in public; just type it in quickly and no one will notice, especially outdoors sun glare makes it hard to read your screen. However, if you find yourself typing in your password in the presence of a Google Glass wearer, beware. Read More ›
Carriers’ tight grip on cellphone unlocking seems to have resulted in a cyberattack
by Bryan Fung, The Washington Post (blog)
AT&T says the hackers’ intent wasn’t to steal credit card numbers or commit other financial fraud. Instead, all they wanted was to pretend to be an AT&T customer so they could do something far more benign: unlock old, used handsets. The process frees up a device so that it can be taken from one carrier’s network to another. AT&T and other carriers currently let you unlock your phone, but with heavy restrictions Read More ›
Smartphone “kill switch” bill facing unusual opposition
by Eric Rasmussen, KTVU
KTVU obtained a “floor alert” regarding Senate Bill 962 sent to members of the Senate by CTIA, a group representing the wireless phone industry. The memo includes an argument that requiring kill switches on phones could place victims of domestic violence in more danger if their abusers are able to remotely activate the technology. Some supporters of the proposed law aren’t buying the argument. Read More ›
Lawmakers reject bill requiring cell phone kill-switch
by Melody Gutierrez, San Francisco Chronicle
California state Sen. Mark Leno said a powerful and deep-pocked wireless communications industry killed his bill requiring antitheft technology on smartphones. With support from law enforcement, the bill requiring “kill switches” on mobile devices fell two short after nearly all Republicans and several Democrats voted against it, including senators Jim Beall, Ricardo Lara, and Norma Torres. Read More ›
Smartphone ‘kill switches’ on the way
by Carolyn Said, San Francisco Chronicle
Smartphone thefts have grown increasingly violent as the devices have risen in value, commanding several hundred dollars each on the black market. The Federal Communications Commission said mobile-device theft is the No. 1 property crime in America. The industry has struggled with a response. Just this month, industry representatives testified they couldn’t offer the type of solution that they now are proposing. Read More ›
Carrier IQ Loses Bid To Send Privacy Case To Arbitration
by Wendy Davis, MediaPost News
In a blow to software developer Carrier IQ, a federal judge has rejected the company’s bid to send a class-action privacy lawsuit to arbitration. The decision, issued late last week, means that consumers who are suing the company for allegedly violating privacy laws will be able to proceed with their claims in federal court. Read More ›
Consumers Save $2.5 Billion A Year If A ‘Kill Switch’ Stops Phone Thefts, Study Finds
by Gerry Smith, Huffington Post
If phone thefts were no longer a concern, more than half of smartphone owners say they would buy less expensive phone insurance coverage from third parties like Apple or SquareTrade that doesn’t cover theft or loss, according to a small survey of 1,200 smartphone owners Duckworth conducted along with his analysis. Read More ›
New bill demands that smartphones have “kill switch” in case of theft
by Joe Mullin, Ars Technica
California state legislator Mark Leno has introduced SB 962, a bill that would require smartphones sold in the state to include a “kill switch” that would “render inoperable” the phone if it’s not in the possession of the rightful owner. Read More ›