Phone operators probed over tracking policies

The United States House Energy and Commerce Committee asked the mobile operators to explain their phone-tracking policy. The respondents’ operators include Microsoft, Nokia, RIM, HP, Apple and Google.

The Committee asked to explain their policy on data collection, its storage and security. Also the operators have to explain how a person can get himself exempted from being tracked, and if there is such provision how vastly it is being advertised and being made public. The date of next hearing is May 9 when the companies have to reply in details. How the data I collected, who has access to data and whether the data collected so is being shared with any third party.

The information available from the hardware of the mobile is generally taken and recorded and the presence of a magistrate may not require. In addition, today we can store information on server also. This additional feature allows the more number of users and more people can access data without any borders restrictions.

There is a good feature in GSM SIM which provide information about the recent call location and the tower to which the mobile was connected at the last time. This information can be availed without having any issue with operators and all.

The GSM SIM already provides access to recent call location, and sometimes the last tower to which the phone was connected, without mucking about with network operators or additional paperwork, but allowing anyone with access to the phone to know everywhere it has been seems a step too far.