Michael Geist
mgeist@uottawa.ca
This web site is licensed under a Creative Commons License, although certain works referenced herein may be separately licensed.
Michael Geist
mgeist@uottawa.ca
This web site is licensed under a Creative Commons License, although certain works referenced herein may be separately licensed.
Sigh…
Always one step forward, two steps back.
Something missing
There’s something missing from the “Understanding Cyber Threats” section.
Those closed source, patented/copyrighted/DRMed applications that no one but their authors know what they are really doing. Like those iPhone/Android applications that “phone home” to their creators sending a wealth of personal information without the user being aware of what’s really happening.
Check here:
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9179894/Free_Android_apps_scrape_personal_data_send_it_to_China?taxonomyId=75
or here:
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1725670/black-hat-android-wallpaper-apps-stealing
Time to check again what closed source/DRM are really about.
Nap.
…
And an iPhone related one:
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/dear_iphone_users_your_apps_are_spying_on_you.php
Nap.
RE:Napalm
Very good observations, Napalm. When it comes to a privacy/proprietary software/DRM standpoint, the iPhone OS is proabably the worst of the two (and Windows Phone 7 will probably be just as bad). At least Android is Free-as-in-freedom software to an extent.
BTW, the term “closed source” just doesn’t send the right message. “Proprietary” is a more accurate term, FYI.