Privacy and Politics in the Mobile Age

[JRViejo]

Last Wednesday, Reuters published a story that touches on security concerns surrounding President Obama’s app. Reuters reported, “The app is helping hundreds of volunteers and staff with the voter drives that the campaign sees as a vital way to combat a crop of voter identification laws that could reduce Democratic turnout in swing states… But the implications of having a stranger’s name and address at one’s fingertips has raised the hackles of privacy advocates…”

GFI Labs decided to dig deeper and, at the same time, make a side-by-side comparison of both apps for Android. Here’s what we’ve found out about the Romney and Obama apps.

GFI Labs Blog.

NOTE: This is vital privacy information for those who may be using these Apps. If the conversation strays into Politics, this thread will be closed.

[noone_particular]

When I look at this, I can't help but wonder what other purposes these apps serve/will serve.

There are two other permissions this app seeks that caught our attention, including access to the audio recording features of a mobile phone and its camera. The app doesn’t appear to take advantage of those features now, so why does it need those permissions?

I don't own or use one of these phones and don't know what phone apps can and can't do, but if the phones allow apps like these to auto-update, I'd be very concerned about what the next versions might do.

[TheWindBringeth]

Unbelievable. Don't forget to roll into the equation that political uses of information aren't as tightly regulated as commercial uses for example.

[noone_particular]

Originally Posted by TheWindBringeth

Don't forget to roll into the equation that political uses of information aren't as tightly regulated as commercial uses for example.

Is political uses any different than or separate from government/official uses, or business/corporate uses? Where does one end and the other begin? With surveillance, "national security" and other sensitive issues, many of which have been privatized, there's little if any separation between them. IMO, this looks like another extension of surveillance in general, with some nasty additions for potential monitoring the behavior of those "loyal" to a party. While the potential for misuse with these apps is bad enough, it's the next ones I'd be worried about. Things like this make me glad I that I never bought one of those phones.

[TheWindBringeth]

Originally Posted by noone_particular

Is political uses any different than or separate from government/official uses, or business/corporate uses? Where does one end and the other begin? With surveillance, "national security" and other sensitive issues, many of which have been privatized, there's little if any separation between them.

Sometimes words provide for favorable distinctions and rights of action. Sometimes words don't matter. That's a sound observation you've made. You might as well add personal uses to that list as well though. Its a generic problem