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Is electronic privacy an illusion?

April 18, 2018

Jill vacillates between worrying about her privacy when using the Internet or the phone and not really caring. As long as her identity remains intact, should she care? We don’t really have an answer. However, to add more fuel to the discussion, let’s discuss smartphones.

An article entitled, “Your Phone Is Like A Spy In Your Pocket,” published by Science News, identified all the various ways sensors in your phone can allow software to figure out where you are; identify your PIN numbers with 99.5% accuracy; the microphone can identify where you are in your house; take photos without the users approval; and whether you are walking or driving.

Security experts are trying to develop apps that prevent these occurrences from taking place without the owner’s permission. In fact Google blocked 20 apps from their Android phones because:

  • With the microphone monitor your location
  • Take photos
  • Extract data via a wireless connection

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