18-Oct-2010 17:14

Mobile phones - do you delete data?

A recent survey by Disklabs & highlighted in the Guardian found that more than that more than 50% of second-hand mobile phones being offered on eBay contained personal data including credit card information, account details, PIN numbers &, worryingly, pretty intimate photos & pornographic images..

This problem of data retention has been exacerbated with the advent of many new phone Apps.

Worrying examples include Android's TaintDroid App, which has been shown to send information to advertisers without the user's knowledge and other problems identified with inadequate data encryption on iPhones.

Another problem of course is that when you give up a mobile number, your old number is very often rapidly re-issued to a fresh user.

This could leave you open to the very real possibility of sensitive information like bank statements & itemised billing & PIN numbers being texted to the new user.

So what, if anything, can we do to safeguard ourselves?

Well, if you feel that taking a sledgehammer to your old handset (probably the best answer) is a little draconian, & not very 'Green', we all need to get into the habit of encrypting valuable personal and intellectual property at file level.

This would means that even if your mobile is lost or stolen it would remain of limited value or use to anyone else.

While the Apps and mobile tool markets are still quite young, developing professional encryption is still seems the safest way to protect your personal data.

Could this prove to be a new business opportunity & a growth industry…?

Anyone out there want to pay me for mobile and other encryption services?