Palm Pre Reports Your Location and Usage To Palm
 

From Slashdot: http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/08/...Palm?art_pos=4
(Original source: http://kitenet.net/~joey/blog/entry/Palm_Pre_privacy/)

"It turns out the Pre periodically uploads detailed information about the user to Palm, including the names of installed apps, application usage (and crashes), as well as GPS coordinates. This, of course, is without user consent or control. The only way he found to disable the uploads was to modify system files."


This is a HUGE invasion of privacy. Wow... just wow. ](*,)

Re: Palm Pre Reports Your Location and Usage To Palm
 

how many people bought pre? how many people are being tracked? how exciting is new products

Re: Palm Pre Reports Your Location and Usage To Palm
 

I can't wait to hear Palm's excuse. If I was ever thinking about getting a Pre, this would pretty well convince me not to.

Re: Palm Pre Reports Your Location and Usage To Palm
 

P.A.L.M. = Privacy Avoidance and Location Manager.....aka Big Brother EEK

Re: Palm Pre Reports Your Location and Usage To Palm
 

Well, I can see Palm wanting debugging information on crashes. However:

1. Why do they need to know your EXACT location? How about the SID of the nearest cellular tower?

2. Why is there no option to opt out of debugging?

This really is inexcusable....

Re: Palm Pre Reports Your Location and Usage To Palm
 

If you think of it your wireless carrier keeps records of your location all the time. A former peace officer here was recently convicted of insurance fraud when his wireless carrier provided police with the coordinates of his location within a half mile away from where his "stolen" vehicle was reported on fire three minutes later.

Here is the article for your viewing pleasure.

Re: Palm Pre Reports Your Location and Usage To Palm
 

This new is disturbing, but not that big of a deal if you are the average Joe the plumber. Today in America there alot of under table things that breach our privacy.

I say if its in your nature to be do something you have no business doing, then the pre is not for you. Unless you plan to disable the unwanted feature from the pre.

I do think this is good info and thread, don't get me wrong. But this doesn't effect me in no ways. I'm the average joe the plumber that go to work, then home to my family. I vote for the feature to be removed never the less.

Re: Palm Pre Reports Your Location and Usage To Palm
 

Meh I could care less about that & still buy the thing. Hell thats just one thing you know is tracking you.

I'm sure Google could tell you my life story and where I've been (lattitude/Chrome), Microsoft could explain my work history, Yahoo could turnover all of my info over to the Chinese secret police, Sprint could tell you where I am & who I'm dating, ASUS could probably tell you what type of Pr0n I like and how often I see it, Starbucks knows how I like my latte and tell the baristas whom I never met before, Plantronics possibly knows what I did last summer etc.

Consented or not,
Trust me, its a losing battle keeping privacy... Take it on the chin guys.

Re: Palm Pre Reports Your Location and Usage To Palm
 

Wow it's like your widows pc hasn't been doing this for years if it get improvements made more power to them its not like palm is stalking you

Re: Palm Pre Reports Your Location and Usage To Palm
 

This is posted at phonescoop.com:

Palm Issues Statement Over Palm Pre Privacy Concerns

Today, 5:21 PM by Eric M. Zeman
Today a report surfaced that accused webOS and the Palm Pre of sending end-user information -- including location data and what sort of applications were running -- back to Palm without end-user consent. In response, Palm issued the following statement: "Palm takes privacy very seriously, and offers users ways to turn data collecting services on and off. Our privacy policy is like many policies in the industry and includes very detailed language about potential scenarios in which we might use a customer's information, all toward a goal of offering a great user experience. For instance, when location based services are used, we collect their information to give them relevant local results in Google Maps. We appreciate the trust that users give us with their information, and have no intention to violate that trust." Palm did not say exactly how end users can opt out of these data-sharing services, nor did it fully explain why Palm would want to know which applications users have downloaded and are running.

from Palm

Re: Palm Pre Reports Your Location and Usage To Palm
 

i knew there was a underlying reason ( beside the build quality ) why i returned it... Thats just crazy... bad move palm!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Palm Pre Reports Your Location and Usage To Palm
 

My expectation of privacy is about zero anymore (regardless of what Palm does).

Everytime I log into my computer at work it tracks my log-in times, websites I visit, etc. My proximity card I use to get into the front door logs the time I enter the building.

When I scan my Safeway Club Card it records my purchases, buying trends, etc. and prints off coupons specific to me. Same thing with the Fred Meyer Rewards Card.

At least you can turn of "Backgound Data Collection" on the Pre. But as Genjinaro alluded to, we are pretty much constantly being tracked and tagged.

late,
Coz

Re: Palm Pre Reports Your Location and Usage To Palm
 

Although, I definatly don't agree with tracking, technically by using the Pre, you did agree to it. Part of the package of using the Pre is signing the EULA and establishing an account when you first activate the phone, inside the EULA it states:

"may collect, store, access, disclose, transmit, process and otherwise use your location data (including real time geographic information) in accordance with Palm's privacy policy."

While I agree Palm shouldn't be doing it, it isn't one of those things you can say is "Without consent"... Hopefully Palm will take heed of the heat from the community, and quickly provide an opt-out feature though.

Re: Palm Pre Reports Your Location and Usage To Palm
 

I think some people are making this a bigger deal than it needs to be, but I agree with raynejarre. You should have the option to not send information. On WM phones, you have to option to turn off or on customer feedback to send anonymous information. Same thing with Google products, or most I think. They still record your voice if you use Goog411. But I wonder: there is a option in location services to turn off background data collection. I'm curious if that stops transmitting the GPS coordinates.