Your cell phone provider could be reading your text messages
By Triston McIntyre
As if the circle of personal privacy hasn’t shrank enough with the advent of the late technology boom, that uncomfortably snug circle might get just a bit snugger; new cell phone technology could allow cell phone providers to monitor your text messages to improve text advertising.
Motorola has gone on the record saying that they have technology that will allow them to not only recognize where a user might be at a given time, but also what their interests are, by directly monitoring words in their text messages. Chief Marketing Officer Kenneth Keller said, “We have a technology which allows us to search … to understand not only where that person might be, but also to understand what their interests might be,” according to the Telegraph.
That’s not the creepy, invasive part. Keller went on to say that such technology could be used to ascertain where a customer was going to have dinner, for example, and they could relay that information to an advertiser who could target a text message ad based at a mall the customer might be dining at.
If you’re thoroughly weirded out, you’re probably not alone. Keller did confess such a program would have some serious invasion of privacy ramifications, but he defended the idea by saying the program would be optional inclusion.
Why would anyone in their right mind open up their cell phone to the eyes of creepy advertisers? Theoretically, participation in such programs might land the user cheaper rates or different perks.
However, you can bet that if such software is to be used at any point, it will come pre-installed on new handsets…whether you want it there or not. Who’s to say that very technology couldn’t be used to exploit and intercept text messages by ill-intentioned people who aren’t just trying to sell you Girl Scout Thin Mints?
The director of Privacy International, Simon Davies, speculates that, even though such an opt-in program might provide perks to adopters, at some point in the near future users could be penalized for not participating. That wouldn’t be too much of a shock, as cellular providers currently exploit their customers with high rates and outrageous pricing for every day services as is.
Expect to see cell phone providers pushing such services in the near future.
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