Palm Tracks the Location of All Pres

[JMcEntegart]

Some bad news for Pre users this morning as widespread reports claim that Palm is tracking the location of all units.

Palm Tracks the Location of All Pres : Read more

 

[thepetey]

does this mean that if you lose your cellphone, you could call them and get them to locate it for you?

that would be pretty cool.

As for this article.. google/facebook/microsoft and 100s of other companies data mine each and every single one of us ... whats one more thing?

 

[reininop]

I have a pre and it really is just an option that is easily turned off on the location services card. It isn't hidden or devious. When you don't have it on, applications like Google Maps and the Navigation service ask you, as they are loading, whether you want to turn on the location services so they can work. I am more concerned about why they want to know what programs I am using and how often I use them.

Certain programs, like My Tether, allow you to tether your Pre to your laptop. It requires rooting your pre and installing certain services to the phone. Technically, I believe it is against Sprint's TOS. I have had to use it on occasion while traveling because I needed access to flash sites that aren't accessibly on mobile phones. If this application tracking is ever used as a reason to cancel my contract I wouldn't be to happy.

 

[cregan89]

I don't really see why this stuff is such a big deal to consumers. There was a similar outcry with google chrome. These companies aren't using this information to spy on a single person or anything people. The information they collect goes into huge databases where they can make graphs and stats so that they can analyze how people are using their product so that they can improve the product based on these results. They probably discard any personal information about where the individual data came from because they don't really care. They just want to see market trends. They look at the information and say, oh hey, it looks like the most common thing that people are using google maps for is to plan out public bus routes, so lets improve on this part of our application to make the product more appealing to consumers. Simple as that. They aren't looking to see if you're searching for kiddie porn or hacking their device. They don't really care about a single persons illegal, embarrassing, or private actions. They have much, much better things to do with their time.

 

[aracheb]

wow palm got good backup from the people, look the comments here..


well done palm
that happens when you dont rip off you customer, one more to learn for you apple.

 

[Guest]

People are losing sight of the real picture here. It's not the fact that Palm is taking privacy seriously or just using it for business purposes, it's the fact that they collect this information and have to make it available to the government and/or law enforcement when requested, usually without a warrant in the post 9/11 world. That is what is scary.

 

[jellico]

Cell phone providers can do that anyway (tell gubment agents where are you and where you have been at any time). This is nothing new. If your phone has GPS capability (most do these days). Then your cell phone provider can pin-point your location to within a few feet. Even without GPS capability, your phone is constantly exchanging information with the cell towers around it (that's how your phone knows whether it's in its service area or roaming). All of that information is maintained by account, including logs of the signal strengths. So the cellular providers can not only show where you are, they can bring up a map and show where you (or at least, your phone) has been every hour of every day.

Get a clue. Privacy is no longer something that you have by default. If you want any real privacy, you would have to make an concerted effort (something most people are either too lazy or don't care enough to do).

 

[knutjb]

it's the fact that they collect this information and have to make it available to the government and/or law enforcement when requested

It's not that easy, my sister is a 911 operator in a large city and she says it's nearly impossible to get any information from any of the phone companies even in the case of missing children. They want a warrant to give up the info.

 

[blackened144]

[citation][nom]knutjb[/nom]it's the fact that they collect this information and have to make it available to the government and/or law enforcement when requestedIt's not that easy, my sister is a 911 operator in a large city and she says it's nearly impossible to get any information from any of the phone companies even in the case of missing children. They want a warrant to give up the info.[/citation]
The cell providers dont WANT a warrant to give up the info, they are legally required to be presented with the warrant before they are allowed to provide that information.

 

[Guest]

"It's not that easy, my sister is a 911 operator in a large city and she says it's nearly impossible to get any information from any of the phone companies"

The key word here is "phone companies" which Palm is not. Palm is collecting this information, not the phone companies.

Also AT&T is still routing ALL of it's traffic through splices which gives all communications information to the NSA without a warrant or any believable oversight. A program that George Bush started (supposedly, though I think the NSA was doing so anyway) and which Obama has not yet stopped.

Get a clue! Privacy is something every American should be demanding from everyone they deal with especially "Nanny" corporations like Palm and Apple and Google. It's part of why we became a country in the first place! Because people like King George could trample down your door and take anything they wanted for any reason or no reason at all and throw you in the clink or execute you because you "might" have committed a crime!

 

[Guest]

In response to the not getting a warrant guy. I am in law enforcement and what you said is not true at all. We can't just run to a phone company and have them give us someones records or location unless that individual is a violent fleeing felon. In which case we would be chasing the guy not calling up sprint or palm for that matter to have them track down a phone.

Regardless of what the fearmongers say, the fourth ammendment in Law Enforcement circles is still held in high regard. knutjb is right with his statement, all this means is that when law enforcement comes with a WARRANT the information needs to be there.

 

[Guest]

"In response to the not getting a warrant guy. I am in law enforcement and what you said is not true at all."

My brother is in law enforcement and I hear all about the good, the bad, and the ugly.

While YOU may be sterling upholder of the 4th Amendment townsfam, not all of LEO is, as can readily be discovered by a search of news articles.

There are court cases in New York concerning Law Enforcement obtaining "locational information" from cell providers without a warrant. And there have been others. See http/www.eff.org/issues/cell-tracking which shows that the courts have been wrongly granting LEO the ability to obtain these records without a warrant. Please note that the majority of these cases were held in "secret" closed sessions that did not see the light of day until some judges realized that the government's position was not legal under the statutes which they had used to justify obtaining this information. Also note that these kinds of "secret" requests are still ongoing.

My stand is simply that the information should not be there to begin with. It should not be collected by private corporation data warehouses and used as a "convenience" by the government to sidestep the requirements of the Constitution and its Amendments. THAT is where the 4th Amendment is being abridged and destroyed.

 

[Guest]

I would rather be tracked by my phone manufacturer then injured from an exploding device.

 

[ThisIsMe]

maybe they could use that location information to find out where all the dropped calls are hapening and go fix the problems with spotty networks

 

[eddieroolz]

I think something like this implemented industry-wide can help against cellphone theft.

Japan already has this service to all DoCoMo subscribers, and it helps them locate and disable stolen phones easily. No reason why we shouldn't have it.

 

[lehighace06]

Let's be honest with ourselves, personal outrage notwithstanding, the concept of "personal privacy" is changing before our eyes rather rapidly. In 50 years, will anyone question data harvesting or will it be so ingrained as a regular practice that it is overlooked? Just think, 50 years ago "data harvesting" was a company representative walking door to door to conduct a survey or sell a product that then took 6 weeks to arrive. Now you can buy just about anything from anywhere and have it shipped in 3 days or less. These conveniences come at a cost, as does all progress.