Betrayed By A Cell Phone

Don't Keep Secrets On Your Cell Phone — It Might Not Keep Them

(CBS/AP) 
One phone surrendered the secrets of a chief executive at a small technology company in Silicon Valley. It included details of a pending deal with Adobe Systems Inc., and e-mail proposals from a potential Japanese partner:

"If we want to be exclusive distributor in Japan, what kind of business terms you want?" asked the executive in Japan.

Trust Digital surmised that the U.S. chief executive gave his old phone to a former roommate, who used it briefly then sold it for $400 on eBay. Researchers found e-mails covering different periods for both men, who used the same address until recently.

Experts said giving away an old phone is commonplace. Consumers upgrade their cell phones on average about every 18 months.

"Most people toss their phones after they're done; a lot of them give their old phones to family members or friends," said Miro Kazakoff, a researcher at Compete Inc. of Boston who follows mobile phone sales and trends. He said selling a used phone — which sometimes can fetch hundreds of dollars — is increasingly popular.

The 10 phones Trust Digital studied represented popular models from leading manufacturers. All the phones stored information on "flash" memory chips, the same technology found in digital cameras and some music players.

Flash memory is inexpensive and durable. But it is slow to erase information in ways that make it impossible to recover. So manufacturers compensate with methods that erase data less completely but don't make a phone seem sluggish.

Phone manufacturers usually provide instructions for safely deleting a customer's information, but it's not always convenient or easy to find. Research in Motion Ltd. has built into newer BlackBerry phones an easy-to-use wipe program.

Palm Inc., which makes the popular Treo phones, puts directions deep within its Web site for what it calls a "zero out reset." It involves holding down three buttons simultaneously while pressing a fourth tiny button on the back of the phone.

But it's so awkward to do that even Palm says it may take two people. A Palm executive, Joe Fabris, said the company made the process deliberately clumsy because it doesn't want customers accidentally erasing their information.

Trust Digital resurrected erased e-mails and other information from a used Treo phone provided by The Associated Press for a demonstration after it was reset and appeared empty. Once the phone was reset using Palm's awkward "zero-out" technique, no information could be recovered. The AP already used that technique to protect data on its reporters' phones.

[wandg21stcen]

Never having been a slave to technology, I can manage both cell phone use and expense, so that it does not overtake my common sense and decorum. That a cell phone has a diary capacity when reused is a no brainer, so I am neither surprised nor empathising with anyone who has such a scenario play out. It is like using a computer then not wanting your job to ever know what you had on it. I have seen what should be highly confidential material on donated and recycled electronics. On the up side, that a cell phone can be perpetually used to dial "911", even if service is off, is great for one in distress. Also, the advent of towers and satellites improved the capability of specifically locating the orign and contents of calls, like DNA, to solve crimes. No more stealthy bosses can forward calls from the job to their homes while we toiled on site while they could give the higher ups the impression that they were at work too. On a darker note, a corrupt New Orleans ex-policeman and his triggerman were convicted of arranging the murder of a mother that had reported his public beating of a young man needlessly to internal affairs.

[bwright923]

I totally agree! I work at a pharmacy and the people are so rude with their cell phones that we had to put up a sign to tell them not to talk on their phone while picking up their script. They still get upset when you ask them to get off. My wife and I do not own cell phones and live just fine.

[jetlizhan]

i know i'll be in the minority - but my opinion on this article is GOOD! these *&%$ cell phones are taking over our lives - young and old are cell-phone crazy. i have one, but use it as i believe it should be - IN AN EMERGENCY!!! and please, please pray that a law is passed that NO ONE can use while driving. one can always pull over to make a call, whether it be for pleasure or an emergency.