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Cell Phone Privacy
Former US Army General and Presidential candidate Wesley Clark had quite a shock earlier this year. In February, Clark found out that a blogger was able to purchase cell phone bill on the Internet – including the phone numbers of those whom Clark called during a three day period last November. And it was purchased for $89.95, no questions asked. But this invasion of Clark’s privacy is not a unique event. Online information “brokers” have been providing the name and address connected to a cell phone number as well as the complete record of outgoing and incoming calls, all for a small fee. According to media reports, there have been as many as 40 different websites selling personal telephone records. How does the system work? The records are usually obtained in one of three ways: through “pretexting,” (scam artists posing as a consumer requesting personal information, such as a bill from a phone company); hacking into customer records online; or in the case of wireless provider employees, releasing records without authorization. Why would these “brokers” do such a thing? Well, if you can obtain the cell phone records cheaply enough – and if they are obtained illegally the cost is zero – there is a ready market interested in personal information. For example, buyers could be political operatives looking for dirt or other kinds of private investigators looking into your background. Of course the motives could be even more sinister. For example, criminals may obtain records of police communicating with informants, victims of domestic violence and others. Legislation has been introduced that would bar the sale or transfer of consumers’ telephone and cell phone calls without their express, verified consent. The legislation would also require phone and cell service providers to put privacy security systems in place to prevent “pretexters” from getting call records, prohibit sales of such records to third parties; and enforce tough penalties for businesses and individuals that get phone records without authorization. The bill applies to cell, land line, satellite and Internet phone records. Invasions of personal privacy are becoming an all-too prevalent problem for consumers. Unscrupulous individuals are always looking to use advances in technology to their own criminal advantage. Without strong laws prohibiting such activities, consumers can get ripped off or worse. Senator Golden, one of the sponsors of the legislation, predicts that the legislation will be approved this year. New Yorkers should hope that he’s right. That’s all for now. I’ll be keeping an eye on the Capitol and will talk to you again next week. |
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