Puck. It appears that the European business man's beloved PSION will bite the dust due to Euroserf socialist delay of wireless progress. This is but one example of the huge collateral damage caused by NOK and its running dog political allies in Euroserf land in their futile efforts to benefit financially by stopping worldwide progress through the implementation of the CABAL's political agenda. Applications and innovative devices will be spawned in the US and ASIA. Euroserfs think more like Labor Union leaders than business visionaries. If the leaders have no vision, then the nation will come to grief and the people will perish..
FROM SI
To:JGoren who wrote (101705) From: ronho Saturday, Jul 14, 2001 11:03 AM View Replies (1) | Respond to of 101707
For those of you that don't totally understand QCOM and Snap Track, l want to say that the Snap Track system is the only system that currently meets the 911 mandated standards for precise location and gives the user of the wireless device a choice of whether or not th reveal his position to the wireless phone system (and to big brother, private detectives, or whomever can extract your location information from the wireless network operators.
Passage of this critical piece of legislation is a HUGE benefit for Snap Track. Although it doesn't appear to mandate the use of Snap Track, it does air the problem and propose that access to information from invasive systems such as the one proposed by Verizon be restricted. The next step would be to prevent the misuse of personal location informatoin by not collecting it in the first place or by comsumers exercising their right to choice by dropping Verizon and signing up with Sprint.
This movement can really help QCOM ASIC sales as every Qualcom CDMA ASIC will have Snap Track incorporated on board. All of the wireless operators who have been footdragging on meeting the 911 location regulations by this fall will suddenly be informed that Snap Track is a way to do this that will protect them from future lecislation that could obsolete their systems and phones (only Sprint and NTT have committed to Snap Track).
rd.yahoo.com*http://www.market... story.asp?source=blq/yhoo&siteid=yhoo&dist=yhoo&guid=%7B47CD5797%2D4486%2D4A68%2 D86A7%2D30072DEF2AC4%7D
Is your cell phone spying on you? Bill would limit location monitoring by wireless devices By Lauren Dunn, Medill News Service Last Update: 5:02 AM ET July 14, 2001
WASHINGTON -- A bill introduced in the Senate is intended to protect cell phone users from what some are calling the next "Big Brother."
The bill, introduced by Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., would allow consumers who use mobile communication devices, such as cell phones, pagers, Palm Pilots and global positioning systems, to choose whether they want their location to be monitored.
The idea is to protect consumers from marketers who want to track their whereabouts and sell the information without permission. Read Edwards' press release.
"If you have a cell phone in your pocket or Onstar in your car, somebody knows where you are at all times," Edwards says. "This bill is designed to make sure no one misuses your personal information."
According to the legislation, wireless services would have to notify consumers when tracking their location and could not disclose or sell the data without getting consent. Consumers would need to see the information before it is given to anyone and would have the ability to correct errors.
Opt-in or opt-out?
However, Debbie Frakes, vice president of communications for Onstar, a global positioning system for GM vehicles that can track a car's location in case of an accident or for directions, called Edwards' comments "ludicrous."
According to Frakes, Onstar, which has more than 1 million subscribers, can pinpoint your location only if you press a button or are in an accident where the air bag is deployed. Onstar is owned by General Motors (GM: news, msgs, alerts) .
Other mobile tracking devices include Airbiquity's global positioning system, which attaches to cell phones. Like Onstar, pressing a button activates the system.
Both systems use an "opt-in" approach to service, where users activate the system themselves. Contrary to the "opt-out" approach, which asks users whether they want to be located, with "opt-in," consumers are tracked only if they press a button.
"Opt-in is really only the way to go," said Andy Rimkus of privately held Airbiquity. "Giving customers the option is critical."
Wide support
Technology policy analysts expect the bill to get wide support in the Senate but are unsure how quickly it will move through Congress.
Ari Schwartz, associate director for the Center for Democracy and Technology, a group that promotes civil liberties on the Internet and in other new technologies, says the legislation is a first step toward protecting cell phone users from being tracked by companies hungry to make some extra money.
"The legislation is important because it's forward-looking in terms of ensuring a marketplace for the new wireless tools so they don't become digital dog tags, tracking individuals wherever they go," Schwartz says.
He adds that the issue has wide support in the Senate, and there hasn't been any vocal opposition to date.
However, David Sobel, the Electronic Privacy Information Center's general counsel, says that before the legislation is passed, its language needs to be clarified.
He said the section that would allow consumers to decide whether they want their location disclosed is too vague and could lead to sketchy fine print. He also questioned the bill's definition of "consent," saying the bill's broad wording could lead to "a lot of mischief."
"It really comes down to details and making sure consumers are given meaningful and easy to use control of information," Sobel said.
Travis Larson, a spokesman for the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association, which represents the interests of wireless companies and Internet service providers, including Onstar, America Online (AOL: news, msgs, alerts) and Sprint PCS (PCS: news, msgs, alerts) , declined to comment on the legislation because he hadn't read it. But he says cellular privacy is a primary issue for his organization.
According to a Federal Communications Commission spokeswoman, the association recently submitted a request for a set of privacy rules to be enacted. The FCC is reviewing the request.
"The wireless industry only makes money when people have their phones on," Larson said. "If people are constantly being spammed on their cell phones, then they are going to turn them off." |