Still Free

Yeah, Mr. Smiley. Made it through the entire Trump presidency without being enslaved. Imagine that.

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Put my Data Where?

Since anyone in the US not living under a rock knows that the phone companies, except Quest, has been supplying user phone records to the Government under at best questionable reasoning the NY Times is running an advertisement for Sprint's Wireless Backup:

To save irritation for both absent-minded phone owners and their friends, Sprint has introduced Sprint Wireless Backup, which synchronizes the contact list on a phone with a copy on Sprint's servers. Software on the phone automatically uploads changes made on the handset, and if the original phone is lost or broken, a new phone can automatically download the data.

For two dollars a month not only can the US government get the records of the people you call, but perhaps the names and phone numbers of everyone else you have contacted or not contacted. Yes the government already has this information, but why would you voluntarily give more information up? It is stuff like this that leaves space for those in various positions of power to presume that the waiving of one's privacy is implicit in the use of certain services. Why not have a copy of your phone database on your computer a-la Apple's iSync and at least have your private phone book somewhere that still requires a warrant to get at. For now at least.

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