Blackberry and privacy

allwires · #1 (**permalink**) 05-01-2011, 12:16 PM

Hi guys,

I'm going to be shopping around for a new phone soon and I recently I'm tired and sick of companies like Google and Apple having ulterior motives with their phones, such as using users to collect location data of for their other services. I know I probably sound like a conspiracy theorist right now, but I guess I am old-school and just want my privacy.

So my question is this: Is there still any mobile phone OS that doesn't do that kind of stuff at any chance they get? More specifically, do blackberries do location tracking or have other privacy issues?

Many thanks in advance!

49311 · #2 (**permalink**) 05-02-2011, 06:30 AM

I think all smart phones do this now. This is in their User Agreements that everyone checks I Agree to.

The only way off the grid is pay as you go phone (although that is not a smart phone)

Welcome to 1984

**MrObvious** · #3 (**permalink**) 05-04-2011, 12:17 AM

Not to make you paranoid, but cell companies I think do this too on any GPS enabled phone, which is pretty much any of them made in the last 6 years. With Android, you opt in to it. When you set up your Android phone, you get an option to send data to Google. With iOS, you can probably kill the file. I'm sure there are nice workarounds coming around now. Probably a BB is the best way to go and you can put a password on your phone and stuff but there is a limit to how much you can protect yourself.