Research or Something Else?

If "Big Brother" is watching me and where I go he must be pretty bored. If I ever decide to rise up against "the man", I'll just turn off my phone, maybe take out the battery. Until then, if it causes him to waste his time watching my banal day to day meanderings, that actually makes me happy.

The "Bad Guys" long ago figured out you don't use a telephone if you want privacy- there was a recent report about a once-mafia boss testifying about the "walk about" where sensitive conversations were held- you don't talk on the telephone, you don't talk in your office, you don't talk in your home. So, most likely, the only people being "tracked" are pretty innocent (or pretty naive) and the trackers are not very likely to uncover anything of import (except, maybe, someone having an extramarital affair, which my offer a blackmail opportunity for some nefarious type). I am not sure anyone is going to glean any important insight into my personality or my purchasing habits or whatever for them to record the fact that I speak to the wife maybe 10 times a day via telephone, but only call my sister once a year.

On the other hand, Big Brother has been collecting all sorts of information being recorded each time one of us uses a credit card. THAT is the sort of information that, falling into the wrong hands, could render some serious damage. And it has been going on for years...

None of this new. Phones already have a backdoor feature that allows the phone to be used as a secret listening device, even when the phone is turned off, should a government agency so desire.

Phones with GPS also store that data, so your location history is also available from your phone.

While it is a bit disturbing, we all signed up for that deal when we opened our cell phone accounts from our provider.

The way I see it, it depends on how they are using it. If they are just using it internally as more of a way to track group of people then I don't mind. But if they are selling it, especially if it identifies me as an individual, that's when I draw the line.