Now I have to admit that I had an “oh crap” moment when I saw this news.com article about the reasons why the iPhone is loved by the NSA. But the more I read it, the (somewhat) better I felt. First, this is what got my attention:
The NSA can retrieve user data on iOS, Android, and BlackBerry devices, according to internal classified documents obtained by German news outlet Der Spiegel. Special task forces within the agency have reportedly studied the three mobile platforms with the goal of accessing the contacts, instant messaging traffic, and location data found on the devices.
The classified documents don’t point to any “large-scale” snooping of smartphone owners, but they do highlight the historic record of a few specific cases. And as detailed in a follow-up story published Monday by Der Spiegel, Apple’s iPhone has been a favorite among NSA agents for several reasons.
The article then goes on to explain how the NSA gets data from iPhones:
NSA programs called “scripts” can spy on 38 different features of the iPhone operating system, though the documents — at least one of which dates back to a 2010 NSA internal report — list just iOS 3 and 4 as the accessible versions. These features include mapping, voice mail, photos, and such apps as Facebook, Yahoo Messenger, and Google Earth.
The NSA also uses the iPhone’s backup files as another infiltration tool, according to Der Spiegel. These files contains such tidbits as contact lists, call logs, and drafts of text messages. And to grab this data, agents don’t even need to hit the iPhone itself — they can simply access the PC used to synchronize with the phone.
Now that’s the part that makes me feel somewhat better. The versions of iOS being referenced in the story are version 3 and 4 of iOS. Now that does not mean any later version such as iOS 6 has anything that the NSA can leverage. We just do not know if that’s the case. Another thing that makes me feel somewhat better. This isn’t, at least not according to story, is that there’s no large scale snooping going on that anyone knows about. Finally when it comes to the backup files, perhaps encrypting them will make them unreadable as you do have that option. Though there’s a report that the NSA can crack encryption so who knows?
Hmmm… Re-reading all of this, I don’t feel somewhat better actually. Does anyone else feel the same?
Eric Schmidt Posts Guide On Converting To Android From iPhone
Posted in Commentary with tags Android, iPhone on November 26, 2013 by itnerdWell, clearly Google feels it can steal market share when Google chairman Eric Schmidt posts a guide on converting to Android from the iPhone:
Many of my iPhone friends are converting to Android. The latest high-end phones from Samsung (Galaxy S4), Motorola (Verizon Droid Ultra) and the Nexus 5 (for AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile) have better screens, are faster, and have a much more intuitive interface. They are a great Christmas present to an iPhone user!
Here are the steps I recommend to make this switch. Like the people who moved from PCs to Macs and never switched back, you will switch from iPhone to Android and never switch back as everything will be in the cloud, backed up, and there are so many choices for you. 80% of the world, in the latest surveys, agrees on Android.
I’ll admit that a lot of the Android phones that I’ve reviewed lately have been really nice. But I am not sure if I would make the jump to another platform. Still, one has to wonder how many people do make that jump. If you’ve got thoughts on that, please leave a comment and let us know what your view is.
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