Did You Know that Anyone Can Easily Access Your Cell Phone Records?
by www.SixWise.com
When it comes to making calls from your wireless phone, it
turns out nothing is sacred. For around $100 (sometimes less,
sometimes up to $440), anyone can buy a list of everyone you've
called from your cell phone for the last month. Sometimes
they can also get your incoming calls and call locations,
too.
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Not sure you want anyone to know who you've been calling
-- or who's been calling you? You may want to think
twice about using your cell phone.
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Even if your intentions are completely innocent -- such as
planning a surprise party for your spouse or seeing a therapist
-- no one wants to have their personal information available
to anyone who's willing to pay for it. Yet federal officials
have just begun to investigate, and do something, about the
problem.
"This is a person's associations," said Daniel
J. Solove, a George Washington University Law School professor.
"Who their physicians are, are they seeing a psychiatrist,
companies they do business with ... it's a real wealth
of data to find out the people that a person interacts with."
If information like this falls into the wrong hands, such
as those of a criminal, abusive spouse or stalker,
it could seriously compromise not only a person's privacy
but also their personal safety.
Only Phone Companies Have These Records
Unlike social security and credit card numbers, which are
given out regularly by both individuals and companies over
the course of any given day, phone companies are the only
ones that have access to cell phone records.
The companies ensure customers that steps are taken to protect
their privacy.
Said Jeffrey Nelson, a spokesman for Verizon Wireless, in
a Washington Post article, "There are probably 100 such
sites" that their security officials know of, and they
"have historically, and will continue to, change policies
to reflect the changing nature of criminal activity."
However, Web sites such as Locatecell.com and others routinely
provide this information to anyone who requests it.
Cell Phone Records Within Three Hours
When the FBI decided to investigate this issue, they paid
Locatecell.com $160 to buy the cell phone records of an agent.
Not only did they receive them -- they received them within
three hours.
"Not only in Chicago, but nationwide, the FBI notified
its field offices of this potential threat to the security
of our agents, and especially our undercover agents,"
said Frank Bochte, a spokesman for the FBI in Chicago. "We
need to educate our personnel about the dangers posed by individuals
using this site and others like it. We are stressing that
they should be careful in their cellular use."
The Chicago Sun-Times newspaper also investigated. They paid
$110 to the same Web site and were able to purchase a one-month
record of cell phone calls for one of their reporters. All
that was needed, the Sun-Times reported, was a cell phone
number and a credit card number.
Outlawing Free-Reign of Cell Phone Records
On April 6, 2006, Maine became one of the first regions in
the country to do something about all of this. The Maine House
has passed a bill that makes selling personal cell phone records
illegal in the state. The legislation is now being used as
a model for other states.
"As we speed through the technology age, new threats
lurk behind every virtual corner," said Rep. John Brautigam,
D-Falmouth, who introduced the bill. "These days our
privacy seems all too vulnerable, fragile and underappreciated.
This bill is a small step to protect that foundational right."
The bill not only protects call records, but also the private
sale of information that may be installed on or transmitted
by a phone.
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The FBI was able to purchase online a record of cell
phone calls made by one of their own agents -- in about
three hours.
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This protects consumers from "spyware" programs
that can be installed on cell phones, allowing companies to
view and sell everything and anything on the phone -- from
photos, to contact phone numbers to text messages.
In March, a U.S. Senate panel also developed legislation
that would make it illegal to acquire, use or sell a person's
confidential phone records, unless written consent had first
been received.
The bill applies to wireline, wireless and VOIP
records, and also bans "pretexting," which refers
to companies or individuals obtaining private phone records
using false pretenses.
"Making it illegal to buy and sell this personal information
will give consumers the protection they deserve and expect.
Americans' phone records should be private and protected like
their medical records," said Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison
(R-Tex.) in a statement.
The bill was approved on a voice vote, and has now moved
to the Senate floor for approval. Similar House legislation
is also awaiting a full floor vote.
Still, some argue that there's still more that should be
done to protect Americans' privacy.
"Who you call, when, and how long you talk is like a
diary of your private life. The committee recognized consumers'
wishes to keep their phone records private and keep their
cell phone number unlisted, but we are urging stronger privacy
safeguards be added on the floor of the Senate," said
Magda Herrera, policy advocate for Consumers Union.
Recommended Reading
How
to Save Big Money on Your Phone Bill
The
Easiest Ways to Opt Out of Telemarketing Calls, Junk Mail,
and More
Sources
Senate
Passes Phone Data Confidentiality Bill
House
Passes Emergency Bill to Protect Consumer's Cell Phone Records
Washington
Post: FCC Probes Selling of Cell Phone Records
Washington
Post: Online Data Gets Personal: Cell Phone Records for Sale
Your
Phone Records are for Sale