AT&T’s Smart Limits for Wireless: Kids next hacking target?
By Ruben Francia
Kids just got another hacking target as AT&T is launching a service today that gives parents total control over their kids’ mobile phone usage.
AT&T Smart Limits for Wireless is a Web-based service that allows a parent to do the following:
- Limit how many minutes’ children can use a wireless phone.
- Set limits on text and instant messages.
- Establish a purchase limit for download purchases.
- Calendar the time of day and days of the week that the phone can be used.
- Block calls and text messages from/to specific numbers.
- Filter children’s access to Internet content.
- Go online anytime to modify limits and control.
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“AT&T Smart Limits for Wireless enables parents to provide their children with the safety and convenience of wireless service while setting sensible boundaries for its use,” David Christopher, chief marketing officer for AT&T’s wireless unit told TechNewsWorld.
While the new service could give parents some peace of mind, it looms to be the next hacking target for kids.
Kids are kids. They want freedom more than what freedom means to parents. To them, AT&T Smart Limits for Wireless service could mean a tool for curbing their freedom of the things they love doing most. And when it comes to technology, kids are generally smarter than parents. They are expected to work hard to figure out ways to circumvent the AT&T controlling mechanism.
Recently, kids’ displayed their hacking capabilities. A 17-year-old boy was the first to hack the iPhone device and another 16-year-old schoolboy was able to hack the US$69 million porn filter by the Federal Government of Australia.
So, it will come to no surprise for kids to figure out a hack to AT&T Smart Limits for Wireless soon.
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Entry was posted
on Tuesday, September 4th, 2007 at 8:54 pm
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Read more entries by Ruben Francia.
Stumble It!
September 5th, 2007
Cool. Let ‘em hack it. But counting past the half-dozen numbnuts who might have the skills and initiative to do so, the vast majority of other kid users will learn to live with it, as the payoff for being able to talk and text at all is still far greater than the cost of not being able to do so endlessly, incessantly, and perhaps inappropriately.
Philosophy aside, this is an issue of branding and marketing, and the point is to differentiate and sell to people what amounts to a commodity offering. AT&T is, in a small way, trying to break out of this box, although it still insists on wasting many millions on branding that does nothing more than use up natural resources and waste our time. Whether this offering is just a ‘give’ to a vocal user lobby, or a fundamental, grow-able aspect of its branding, only time will tell.
But it’s an intriguing effort. Even if some kid is inspired to hack it.
I’ve written about the branding aspects of the news at DIM BULB, http://dimbulb.typepad.com , if you want to check it out.
September 5th, 2007
Someone just needs to break it once. Once that happens the cat is out of the bag and anyone can bypass it. Just download it or follow a tutorial. There are kids who will find it annoying and be able to follow a simple tutorial and bypass something.
But it isn’t hacking that will be the problem. I doubt you can really hack your way out of this as the restrictions are probably on the company side. You can’t force the cell towers to give you info when they don’t want to. It will be loopholes or programming errors that will mostly do it. Maybe something like setting the phone to a different time might allow you to bypass it?
June 23rd, 2008
Unfortunately, your statement “Block calls and text messages from/to specific numbers” is incorrect. There is no way to block any incoming call or text with the Smart Limits.
I wrote about this major flaw on my own blog:
AT&T Smart Limits for Wireless – Not so smart