Yeah. Who do you think you are, the NSA, GCHQ, etc.? They summons any of your info they want. They hire hackers to program the most intrusive applications possible, etc.
In this post 9/11 world with news about hackers every day, sabotage of Iran’s centrifuges, Sony, Home Depot and Target data losses and you running around changing passwords everywhere, who’s going to argue?
They create laws to prove how much they honor the Fourth Amendment or your privacy…and “come down hard” on people who do…well…pretty much what they do. That’s because they maintain that when a government does it, that’s ok because it’s for your “security”.
Some of it…maybe even most of it is. But, to guard your privacy they invade yours because, if it’s ok to check Joe Blow, it’s equally ok to check you. Fair is fair.
But don’t worry: The FISA Court protects you. Sure it does.
Anyway, rant over. Today’s topic explains it all. Case in point?
“Hammad Akbar, CEO of StealthGenie, had been arrested in Los Angeles and charged with conspiracy, advertisement of a known interception device, advertising a device as a surreptitious interception device and sale of such a device. StealthGenie, which had been available on iOS, Android and BlackBerry, was known for providing an app capable of monitoring someone's calls, texts and photos, as well as tracking their location and more.” – engadget
Well, the PRC is doing it to their people and your cell phone company tracked you “to improve quality of service provided” (yeah, like anyone swallowed that one) and everyone under the sun sells your data (but doesn’t identify you actually - of course the metadata sure does), poor Hammad. He just wanted to be the NSA. I also wonder what else he did with all that information and to whom he sold it.
Sen. Al Franken maintains that, "People ought to be able to control who can access their sensitive information, and stalking apps on cellphones directly violate that principle." A lofty stand, and absolutely correct imo.
Then he went on to state, “Currently, there is no federal law banning the secret collection of location data. That's why we need to pass my legislation to ban stalking apps once and for all.” Right on, Al.
I felt like I was watching “When John, Harry, Nancy and Mitch Met The Constitution”.
You could have knocked me over with a feather. Of course there’s no such law (just as two Presidents couldn’t finish a fence): Why have a law that you write the NSA (etc.) loopholes into anyway just to tell some people, “You’re not a member of the club that I am.”?
Don’t worry. It’s just to keep you safe.
Source:
http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/30/crackdown-on-spying-apps-leads-to-stealthgenie-ceos-arrest/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full
https://news.yahoo.com/advanced-ios-virus-targeting-hong-kong-protesters-security-210741365.html