EU adopts data retention [LWN.net]

EU adopts data retention

Posted Dec 14, 2005 17:06 UTC (Wed) by rmayr (subscriber, #16880)
In reply to: EU adopts data retention by copsewood
Parent article: EU adopts data retention

Of course it will not - even the tracking of phone calls can be avoided by
buying lots of prepaid SIMs and using them only for a short time. It is
indeed questionable which problems this directive intends to solve.

The problem is that most users will not be aware of how much data is
collected about them, let alone how to retain their privacy.

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EU adopts data retention

Posted Dec 14, 2005 17:54 UTC (Wed) by ringlord (guest, #6309) [Link]

In several countries (most ?) you can't any longer buy prepaid SIM cards without registration.

Mobile tracking

Posted Dec 14, 2005 18:07 UTC (Wed) by corbet (editor, #1) [Link]

Unfortunately, GSM phones have a unique serial number which is tracked along with the information from the SIM. So it is trivially easy to tie together activity using multiple SIM cards on the same handset.

Mobile tracking

Posted Dec 14, 2005 18:20 UTC (Wed) by rmayr (subscriber, #16880) [Link]

True, but IMEIs can also be changed if you know what you're doing (or just
use cheap throw-away phones the same way as the SIMs). My point is that
even that part of the directive will not catch professionals.

Mobile tracking

Posted Dec 14, 2005 18:29 UTC (Wed) by tgb (guest, #745) [Link]

True, but it's also trivial to change the IMEI number (the unique serial number) as I understand it. In the UK most independent mobile phone shops offer "unlocking" services and from a discussion I had with such a shop owner a few years ago, the cables and software they use allows them to change pretty much anything on the phone.

If someone wanted to protect themselves to the point of buying prepaid sim cards regularly, they could replace their mobile, e.g. via ebay, regularly too (it's just an example, I can see that given enough transactions then purchases could be linked together too...).

EU adopts data retention

Posted Dec 15, 2005 13:17 UTC (Thu) by mmarq (guest, #2332) [Link]

"" It is
indeed questionable which problems this directive intends to solve. ""

Havent you guessed yet ?
DRM protection and treacherous computing are as stupid as their strategists, and the ultimate goal can only be totalitariam control!

YES you can laugh, but take it seriously!...

http://www.wealth4freedom.com/money/ecr-pem/ch1.htm
http://www.savethemales.ca/000275.html
Do we really live in freedom ?
http://www.savethemales.ca/001102.html

...because under heavy DRM internet control posting those links above would probabily simply be not possible.

It dosent solve hollywood or the music industry problems, by the contrary,..., i guess that extrapolating by my purchasing habits if those industrys are dependent on a reasonable minimum sale volume they would be in big trouble,... and their general quality is so low that...

If and when only by DRM or other *centraly_controled* visible medium, then people will not buy them... Sonny faced a rejection recently, and things will trend to get worst about control, intrusion and piracy, to the point that now internet commerce is at the turning point to get extinct...

Music, Movies, Microsoft and other bigger software, Games are still largely based on boxed physical medium selling, so no big loss(if any at all) for the monopoly corja.