UPDATED: Privacy for Sale
I mentioned in passing the recent revelation that, via a number of shady websites, your cell phone records are for sale. Yes, for but a measly $100 you can get a listing of the last hundred phone calls made from any cell phone. Just visit the site, enter the phone number in question, shell out the cash and you are the proud new owner of someone else’s personal business.
To prove the point, John at Americablog purchased his own phone records- in order to verify the accuracy of the story. And sure enough- there they were, in black and white, a list of his last hundred calls.
Since the media and, more importantly, the governmental reaction has been the sound of crickets chirping, John bought the phone records of Gen. Wesley Clark to make a point. No problem there either.
I will be calling T-Mobile, my provider, to ask them about their stance on this. I’ll update you as events warrant.
UPDATE: OK, so I called T-Mobile, and, predictably, they were clueless. I mean C-L-U-E-L-E-S-S.
I explained the situation, and provided them the source so they could check it out for themselves (Me: “No, that’s America-b-l-o-g. Dot com. Yes. Dot com. Yes, it’s a blog. A blog is a website.”)
T-Mobile- or at least the rep I spke with- had not heard anything about this issue, despite it being front page news in major nespapers across the country.
I asked for a callback from a T-Mobile rep once they get their shit together- after all, they already have my phone number- but the rep couldn’t promise anything.
Dontcha just love customer service?
“…despite it being front page news in major nespapers across the country…”
I wonder if the rep you spoke to was even in this country.
He seemed to be. By which I mean I detected no accent- but that’s not exactly scientific.
Hey, stay on this one Nikkos!, it’s important and obviously needs to be pursued.
Shameless horn-tooting: The Sun-Times catches up with nikkos…
…again, will somebody please explain to me the difference between a blogger an a journalist? :)
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-cell13.html
Once again, the almighty dollar trumps all in America! The difference Nikkos: The journalist gets paid.
One would think the dollar might actually encourage timely reporting!
From the WashPost:
“T-Mobile Sues Cell Phone Record Diggers”
http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2006/01/tmobile_sues_ce.html