Is Cell Phone Communication Secure? According to a 2010 survey by the CDC (Center For Disease Control) 26.6% of US households use only cell phones at home (Blumberg). With such a large amount of people depending on cellular for communications it is important to understand the security risks they face. Cell phone communication is not completely secure but the risk depends on a variety of variables, user habits, interception points, and user vigilance. Legally no one is supposed to listen to cell phone calls but it does happen. In April of 1994 the Federal Communications Commission “ruled no radio scanners may be manufactured or imported into the U.S. that can pick up frequencies used by cellular telephones, or that can be readily altered to receive such frequencies. (47 CFR Part 15.37(f))(Fact Sheet). “Another federal law, the Counterfeit Access Device Law, was amended to make it illegal to use a radio scanner "knowingly and with the intent to defraud" to eavesdrop on wire or electronic communication. (18 USC 1029) Penalties for the intentional interception of cordless and cellular telephone calls range from fines to imprisonment depending on the circumstances. (18 USC 2511, 2701)” (Fact Sheet). User Security Two of the most common avoidable breaches to secure calling have to do with the ease of use and portability of cell phones. As people have become more comfortable with holding conversations in public many people talk on the cell phone as if they are alone with no one able to hear. They may not be thinking about security when they talk to someone asking for verification by using their Social Security number, birth date, or other personal items. Another common issue is pocket calling. An article in In... ... middle of paper ... ...ion (EFF). “What Can I Do To Protect Myself?”. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). Surveillance Self-Defence. Web. 29 October 2011 “Fact Sheet 2: Wireless Communications: Voice and Data Privacy.” Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. Revised August 2011. Web. 29 August 2011. Grimes, Roger A. “Unintended cell phone calls put privacy at risk.” Info-world. 15 June 20101. Web. 29 October 2011. Valentino, Vishnu. “Vodafone Hacked – Root Password published” Vishnu Valentino: Blog. Web. 29 August 2011. Walker, Michael. “On the Security of 3GPP Networks.” International Association for Cryptologic Research. Web. 29 October 2011. Walter, Vic and Krista Kjellman. “Can You Hear Me Now?” ABC News Investigative. 5 Dec 2006. Web. 29 October 2011. Wikipedia. Zetter, Kim. ”Hacker Spoofs Cell Phone Tower to Intercept Calls.” Wired. 31 July 2010. Web. 29 October 2011.
When one looks around in public it is almost impossible not to see someone who is talking, texting, or playing a game on a cell phone. When someone sends a text, the phone company saves it in a data bank where it sits waiting to be u...
Caplan, Hayley. "How to Avoid Cell Phone Identity Theft." What Is Privacy. N.p., 31 July 2012. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. .
According to Rosen, the main reason why people acquire a cell phone is because of security. After the tragic event that occurred on September 11, 2001 in the United States cell phones started to play an important role in our lives. Rosen states that after this e...
Today, people constantly carry around cell phones or other forms of devices that allow them to connect with others electronically. While being connected to others in an instant is beneficial, there are far more problems that arouse because of this. As Cole states, “Our cellphones constantly apprise the phone company of where we are, and whom we are talking to and/or texting.” Because of this, it is a scare factor to citizens to know that they can be “watched” at any time along with their privacy. While this is true in today’s world, the Party in 1984 has taken
With various technological advances made every single day, today’s citizens have become accustomed to having and using smart phones.
Amy Gahran, a media consultant exploring communication in the technology era, writes about how cell phones are significant. She feels that cell phones have changed our lives by providing “…vital services and human connections…offer new hope, even through simple broadcast text messages” (Gahran). Gahran is insisting that cell phones allow us to learn news quickly, connect with safety, and can even fight crime through video recordings (Gahran). In addition, she feels that the overall benefits of owning a cell phone outweigh any negatives. This somewhat challenges the ideas presented by Rosen because it points out more benefits of cell phones. In “Our Cell Phones, Ourselves” Rosen mentions that although cell phones indeed connect us with safety, they can often lead to a sense of paranoia. To expand, she writes that parents who give children a cell phone for security purposes, develop a paranoid sense of their community and lose trust in “social institutions” (Rosen). In making this comment, Rosen argues that although cell phones may be beneficial, they can change the way we view our world. Without a cell phone, many individuals feel vulnerable, as if their phone protects them from all possible dangers that they may encounter. In fact, a Rutgers University professor challenged his students to power off their phones for 48 hours and report back with their experience (Rosen). Many felt almost lost without it and one young women described the feeling “…like I was going to get raped if I didn’t have my cell phone in my hand” (Rosen). In reality, having a cell phone will not save a person’s life in all situations. Although many, including Gahran, feel a phone is a vital tool, it has changed how we feel about the world around us and how vulnerable we feel without a phone in
The technology that America has today may not operate like the infamous telescreens “with its never-sleeping ear”(30), but America’s technology is not so different from them. Throughout the turn of the century, cellphones have become a necessity to the public. In the hands of everyone is a device to stay connected and communicate, but what people do not realize is the fact that these devices are a way for the government to tap into their daily lives. Technology companies are linked to the government to keep tabs not only on criminals but everyone in America.
Anyone who has ever received one of those pesky telemarketer phone calls during dinner most likely understands the idea of a private phone number. No one likes to have their phone line invaded by paid phone operators who just want your money. Working long and hard on a group presentation regarding technology threatening/improving privacy, one can realize that the word private has several different connotations and meanings. Yet, when generally facing the word, it usually means the opposite of public.
Cellular phones are a phenomenon that has engulfed people in the nineties. They have become a common occurrence whether you are waiting in line at the super market or in a movie theatre. One professor at Murray State University said, “Many students are carrying them, I had a student get a call in the middle of a test last semester.” Although many people have accepted the thought of carrying a telephone wherever they go, others have not taken the onslaught of cell phones quite so easily. Cell phones have become part of everyday life, and with the dramatic changes that have been made, there is no sign of their existence diminishing. Today, cellular service is available in all 306 Metropolitan Statistical Areas across the country and all of the 428 Rural Service Areas.
From the Research that I have done I have found quite a lot of risks for mobile phones. Every phone from different countries has different Security risks. Different risks affect people differently; some are on a really small scale and some risks which can ruin people’s lives.
Richmond, Riva. "12 Ways Technology Threatens Your Privacy (and How to Protect Yourself)." Switched. N.p., 14 May 2009. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. .
Swartz and Allen both offer valuable perspectives on expectation of privacy and legal limitation of cell phone data tracking use. As consumers of technology, Americans use cells phone not always by choice, sometimes by necessity. Both authors advise us to question our stand on the government’s unwarranted involvement in our lives. I would encourage us all to be aware of all technology around us. Albeit convenient, we must be willing to accept our part in its use.
Many people in today’s society rely on technology to help us with our daily lives and help us stay connected to family, friends, and other people. The advancements in today’s cell phone technology is very complex and made to be efficient for their owners, allowing them to surf the net and IM message people instantly. Cellphones in particular have developed very fast in the past 15 years. From my childhood, cell phones have evolved from the old school Nokia bricks that allowed texts, calls, and simple graphic games, to todays I-Phones that have higher computable capabilities than some computers. In the United States alone, there is an estimated population of around 297 million people, and 197 million people are subscribed to cell phone companies (Starr). With so many people in today’s society with so much power and opportunity in the palm of their hands, we shouldn’t forget that “With great power comes great responsibility” –Voltaire.
Cell phones represent a type of technology that has been around for more than over fifty years; it has only been recently that many people began to use cell phones as a major part of their everyday life. In the past cell phones were for business people to conduct their business, but in today’s society every one owns a cell phone. Cell phones are interesting, useful and also play a major role in our life’s bringing people closer and keeping in touch with one another. Most people do not know and understand the physics of a cell phone. Cell phones are also known as cellular phone, hand phone, and commonly known as a mobile phone. A cell phone is an electric device that can make and receive calls, over and automatic repeat request (radio link petrol -RLP) used over wireless air interdace.it us a portable telephone that uses and receive phone signals.it also divides that earth into small regional called cells.in the resent estimates there are over 190 million people using mobile phone. One of the primary health concerns is the impact of cell phone radiation, by radio waves by which it operates.
Since the invention of the cell phones, in 1973, it has quickly become the most popular device used especially today during the twenty-first century. Due to its hands-free-easy-to-use design, the amount of people that own a cell phone is rapidly increasing. The useful text messaging feature has proved to be extremely useful in current times. Along with these helpful features, the cell phone is easily accessible and more portable. The majority of phone companies offer a 3G or 4G data plan, meaning internet access can be found on your phone almost anywhere, at any time. In addition to its easy portability, the cell phone is a very useful and helpful device, allowing one to stay connected to the outer world. “With a smartphone, you can connect to the Web from virtually anywhere. You ...