Filed under: Cellphones

Hunker down and find that tin foil cap, pronto! Privacy advocates, we’ve a new target for you to bang on: Integrated Media Measurement. The 4,900-person media research company is looking to take advertising measurement to a whole new level (or new low, as it were) by embedding tracking modules within cellphones. In short, the module picks up audio from ads and records information about the exposure; in the future, if you were to purchase whatever product you heard about (like seeing a movie that was plugged), it would register a hit and deem you a sucker. As of now, the only testers with these freaky phones are individuals who signed up for this stuff, but you better believe major marketing firms (and TV / movie studios in particular) are perking their ears up and begging to know more.

[Image courtesy of Corbis, thanks ugotamesij]

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Filed under: Displays, Laptops

We’re a bit miffed as to why Dell’s keeping its new One-Touch Privacy system exclusive to the Latitude E6400, but whatever the story is there, it’ll definitely keep straying eyes from seeing too much confidential information. Interestingly, this here filter isn’t hardware based; rather, it’s a software-driven application that “creates a pixel-based pattern on the screen, reducing the side viewing angles of people seated next to the user.” Dell assures us that it has “minimal impact on display brightness” and that it can be activated with a single touch key, but we’re still wondering how it landed on the seemingly sky-high $139 price. Talk about paying for the privilege.

[Via T3]

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Those billboards with facial-recognition-based tracking systems we mentioned last week caused quite a bit of consternation amongst those of us who value our privacy (read: everyone), but it at least one of the firms involved is engaging the debate and promising that it won’t share any data it record. In a letter to the New York Times and a much longer, more boring version of the same letter sent to us, TruMedia Technologies says that none of its tech will ever record or store any video, only analyze frames and increment various demographic counters. TruMedia also says that no individually-indentifiable information is ever stored, and that it’ll never share any video or images with any private or governmental body. There’s also mention of a standards body working to address methodologies and metrics for the tech. All excellent promises, sure, but we’re never going to be entirely comfortable with this stuff, even if we live in an age of ubiquitous CCTV monitoring. Full letter after the break.

Continue reading TruMedia says its facial-recognition billboards will never record video, it won’t share with cops

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Filed under: Cellphones

Ask yourself this: Are you a statistic or a specific example? That’s the question being raised in the aftermath of a study in which researchers secretly tracked the locations of 100,000 people to determine their movement patterns. Such studies are considered invasions of privacy — and illegal — in the United States, but this one was done in an undisclosed industrialized nation. The subjects were chosen at random out of a pool of 6 million from a mystery wireless provider and tracked based on cell tower triangulation and other “tracking devices.” Study co-author Cesar Hidalgo at Northwestern University promises that researchers didn’t know the individuals’ phone numbers or identities, and offers that the results are a major advance for science. The study found that people are homebodies — most stay within 20 miles of their home and are rather habitual. Scientists say the findings — to be published in Nature on Thursday — can help improve public transit systems and even fight contagious diseases.

[Thanks, Doug]

[Via MSNBC]

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Filed under: Cellphones

Although several Indian news outlets reported last week that RIM was preparing to let the Indian government monitor the domestic Blackberry network, it appears that the outcry has prompted the company to change course and announce that it’s committed to “serving security-conscious businesses in the Indian market.” That’s a big reversal from the rumored plan, which would have allowed Indian security agencies access to the network in exchange for taking the blame for any leak of user data. Of course, not everything’s quite settled yet: the Indian government is still demanding that RIM furnish “satisfactory answers” to its security questions, and RIM told the AFP that there are some other ways for “government to take care of security concerns” without elaborating further. Based on RIM’s enterprise-heavy statements and refusal to comment on the consumer service, we’d guess that enterprise customers will probably get to keep their networks locked down, but that consumers shouldn’t expect their messages to be secure. Not the best compromise, but we’ll see how this all plays out.

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

We’re not sure if these plans will ever make it to reality, but the Telegraph is reporting that Britain’s Home Office is working on database designed to store the details of every phone call, email, and web page accessed by British citizens in the previous year. The idea is to have various telecom providers hand over their records, which will all go into the database and then accessible by police upon receipt of a court order. Of course, there’s no reason why police couldn’t simply ask the ISPs for the appropriate data when they get that court order, since records are required to be kept for a year, but sometimes it’s important for a government to build a massive scary database of personal information with endless potential for abuse by embittered low-level bureaucrats, you know? The plan is still in draft stages, so hopefully it dies on the table — and if not, well, the NSA welcomes you with open arms, British expats.

[Via National Terror Alert]

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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Great news for those of you enrolled in Microsoft’s Windows Feedback Program. In exchange for giving Microsoft access to your computing habits for the last 3 months, your free copy of Windows Vista Ultimate, Office Ultimate ‘07, Money Plus Premium, Encarta Premium or Streets and Trips (depending upon your enrollment selection) should be delivered in the next 4 to 6 weeks. Oh sure, the price for the most popular choice — Vista Ultimate — has dropped $80 since you flittered away your privacy. It’s not like the MyFaceSpaceBook types have anything left to hide anyway. And free is free no matter the cost, right?

[Thanks, Gal C, Anthony, and everyone who sent this in]

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Filed under: Cellphones

The House of Representatives just took a long weekend break without voting on the Spy bill sent down from the Senate. As such, our beloved carriers’ hopes for immunity from those pesky US privacy laws have disintegrated. At least for the time being — the fight between the baddies and goodies (however you define that) isn’t over by a long shot.

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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Details are still fuzzy at this point, but according to an e-mail received by numerous tipsters, Microsoft is indeed offering up a free copy of Vista in exchange for their privacy. Yeah, even though it claimed otherwise late last year. According to the note, Redmond is viewing these folks as “registered members” of the Windows Feedback Program, and if they keep their guard down for the remainder of a three month period, they will seemingly receive a copy of its latest OS gratis. So, any others out there finding an unexpected message from the Big M regarding said offer? Let us know in comments below, particularly if you get any free wares or previously analyzed keylogging reports.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Yesterday, we told you about an offer wherein you could completely sacrifice your privacy for a free software bundle from Microsoft which included Windows Vista Ultimate and Office Ultimate ‘07, amongst others. Well, apparently the big M has decided to pull the offer of free software — but still wants to track your digital footsteps and pry into your private dealings. Here’s Redmond’s official line to those inquiring about the discontinued offer: “Thank you for your interest in the feedback program. Due to high volume, we have reached our ‘while supplies last’ limit and have closed our free product incentive on 12/11/2007 at 2pm.” Needless to say, they’d still love to have a look at your browser history, emails, IM logs, crash reports, and blood type.

[Thanks, Jerry]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Microsoft’s been keeping its record pretty clean of late, but we suppose it couldn’t end the year without a parting shot meant to cheese off the ultra-private, Microsoft-eats-children types. The company’s latest diabolical plan involves giving away free copies of Windows Vista Ultimate, Office Ultimate ‘07, Money Plus Premium, Encarta Premium or Streets and Trips — scary, we know. All you need to do is fill out a few surveys now and then, and download a little app that lets Microsoft watch your every move for three months. If you can manage to be a good little pod person for that long, you get a free copy of whatever software title you selected in the mail. But really, can you put a price on dignity? Exactly, you can’t, so sign us up!

[Via NotebookReview]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS

It’s not like the Japanese government hasn’t dabbled in GPS (and RFID, too) tracking before, but the nation’s latest idea involving Big Brother is (unsurprisingly) catching a fair amount of criticism. Reportedly, Japan wants to equip senior defense officials with GPS-enabled mobiles, and it’s making no bones about the reasoning behind it. Quite frankly, it’s looking for ways to keep a more watchful eye on officials’ whereabouts after a higher-up was recently “treated to hundreds of expensive rounds of golf by a defense contractor.” Reportedly, the handsets would only be given out to senior staff “required to report for duty in the case of a security emergency,” but a number of anonymous individuals have already expressed disdain for the plan through local news outlets. Nothing to hide, nothing to fear, right?

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!