Palm has responded to claims that its recently-launched Pre smartphone abuses owners’ privacy.The company issued a statement after one owner discovered his phone was sending data every day back to Palm. The information included the current location of the phone and how long each application was used for.
In its statement, Palm said it took users’ privacy “seriously” and said it gave phone owners ways to turn features on and off.
The discovery was made by software developer and Pre owner Joey Hess, who found that his phone was reporting his location over a secure connection back to Palm. It also sent back information about application crashes – even those not seen by a Pre owner.
Also in the daily update sent to Palm was a list of the third party applications installed on the phone.
In its privacy policy, Palm does explain that it will gather geographical data to help with location-based services. However, commentators were puzzled as to why it needed to gather so much data and why owners were not told about what it had gathered…
Palm issued a statement about Mr Hess’ discovery and said it “offers users ways to turn data collecting services on and off”.
It added: “Our privacy policy is like many policies in the industry and includes very detailed language about potential scenarios in which we might use a customer’s information, all toward a goal of offering a great user experience.”
The sort of discovery that keeps some geeks in perpetual orgasm – and makes the rest of us yawn. But, at least it keeps the corporate mavens on their toes.
The only company worse for snooping on people and being generally “crooked” is Apple.
This specific example is, to me, just one more reason to choose a Chinese clone phone over an American brand phone, and another reason to not have a data plan.
I don’t trust Palm, Motorola, or Apple. Each one is like a big gorilla abusing its power. Each wants to be the bad boy.
The irony is that Microsoft, the original bad boy, remains an underdog the phone arena. Yeah maybe they’re snooping, but at least their phones are highly programmable. Embedded Visual C++ is free.
Also note: There’s worse than Palm and Apple:
We now know that Nokia has been helping suppress dissent in Iran, as well as using lobbyists to ban competitors’ phones in India. (Click above for those links)
>> Amsterdamned said, on August 13th, 2009 at 7:22 am
>> We now know that Nokia has been helping suppress dissent in Iran,
I didn’t know but I’m not surprised.
I’ve heard a bunch of stories about how corporations enable fascists.
Years ago, my Motorola was sending packets of data to an east European company who’s applet I had bought and legally installed. It would have gone unnoticed, but at that time I had no data plan, so it appeared on the telephone company’s bill. What I don’t understand, is why a common practice in PCs, spyware and other “user experience reporting”, should be excluded from portable media devices?
Hey, if you’ve got nothing to hide, it’s obvious you’re not going to be allowed to hide it.
“… all toward a goal of offering a great user experience.”
Man, I get tired of hearing crap like that. A credit card can deny a purchase “to protect me from fraud”, my bank will put a hold on a check “for my security” and on and on. We all know it’s bullshit and yet we take it, mainly because there’s so little we can do to stop it. Sue? Write to congress? Or slowly turn into compliant little consumers? I think the answer is clear.
I’ve been ready to purchase a smart phone for some time now, but I’ve been avoiding Apple’s IPhone primarily because of Apple’s attempts at locking down the apps and the phone in general.
So, I had been thinking about the Palm Pre as an alternative. No longer. Screw you Palm.
I few more years and “they” (government) will require by law, phones with their GPS be implanted in all AMERICANS for the public’s “safety”. Washington (NSA/FBI/Homeland Security) and companies will have massive computer banks to track everyone’s moves.
Congress will pass laws to make it illegal to remove or protest the these “security implants” and/or illegal to move about or buy anything with out them. Paper money will be made illegal/obsolete. The government will require all financial transactions, personal contacts be electronically and automatically recorded and tracked, for “Tax purposes only”.
The governments augment will be, “if you are not doing anything illegal you have nothing to hide”. Of course the President, congress and law enforcement will claim exemption with executive/legislative privilege.
This will likely happen after another nation emergency, when every talk show “Monday morning quarterback/pundit” will claim this nation emergency could have been prevented if everyone had an implanted GPS phone.
To make it easy, they (government) will offer a kind of paid subscription Pre-Screening exemption Program with periodic renewal (like George Bush and TSA does/did).
All in the name of law, security, anti fraud, anti terrorism and safety. Welcome to America in 2030.
“Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.”
~Benjamin Franklin
“You never want a serious crisis to go to waste — and what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things that you didn’t think you could do before.”
~Rahm Emanuel
Cheif of Staff, Obama Administration
Maybe they plan to send that model in the Palm Pre commercials to your location to suck out your soul.
The problem is, most cell phone companies will not permit you to activate a smartphone without having a data plan. Your only way around it is to buy the phone from someone else and switch your SIM card from another activated phone. It won’t allow you to use online data features of the phone, but if you’re using the phone for non-online applications, you can still do that.
Personally, I’m avoiding smartphones entirely because I never, ever get online with it and I don’t want to pay for things I will never use.
I can see how that information could be of enormous commercial value. No wonder it’s sent over “a secure channel.” I’m just surprised they haven’t shouted “no user-identifiable information” or some such. In fact, it’s so valuable, I’m surprised they don’t offer discounts to those who leave it enabled!
Hey, she can come any time and… Oh for Pete’s sake, help me, I can’t stop myself!
Everything would be fine if Palm would have kept such snooping NOT enabled by default, and enable it only when the user would have agreed to do so.
I wouldn’t mind to enable it if they PAY ME for participating in this marketing data mining scheme. Or if they gave out their stupid phone for free they may have a grounds to snoop on the user.
They have no excuses and it should have been considered breaking any privacy laws, and if this is not breaking any privacy laws then our laws are sick and need to be changed!
Well if being a dog a product didn’t kill it this might. When ever I get ready to replace my current POS cell phone I will probably get an Android based phone.