Law and Order CPU; recovering lost/stolen data in a mobile world
Yes, mobile security is becoming more of a million-dollar-worry for corporations, but what about the hundreds of dollars’ worth of songs on your ipod? Your son’s graduation photos on your digital camera when it gets lost or stolen?
A recent Reuters story details some of the new software and hardware that allows runaway consumer electronics to “phone” home via wireless connectivity; Eye-Fi SD memory cards and GadgetTrak software are mentioned. Both send data back to the original owners, and there are now-famous stories of thieves caught taking pictures of themselves using the Eye-Fi enabled cameras they stole.
I was curious about the relationship between these new security companies and law enforcement: how are police handling the advent of technologies that help them do their jobs?
“We have had quite a few requests for more information from law enforcement agencies that they can provide to citizens,” GadgetTrak founder Ken Westin told me in an e-mail. “Some (law enforcement personnel) are also our customers.”
Westin says his company has worked closely with police officials since GadgetTrak’s launch a year ago - not only to educate them about their software but also to help make it better. “One key element that we are very conscious of is respecting our customers’ privacy while at the same time providing enough information for law enforcement to follow up with and recover the device. We provide technical assistance to law enforcement with the recovery of the device as needed.”
Thefts on high school and college campuses of GadgetTrak-secure devices usually just involve school administrators and their IT departments, not police. “This gets the device back for our subscriber and the thief avoids a criminal record,” Westin says. “We also then see a drop in theft on these campuses once word spreads that these devices can be tracked.”
As you can imagine, gadget recovery success stories are front and center on GadgetTrak’s website, but not without customer permission. Westin, in fact, emphasizes the potential for privacy abuse as an obstacle in his company’s path to success. His customers are not required to contact GadgetTrak when a device is stolen.
“We try to keep ‘Big Brother’ out of the picture as much as possible, particularly given the potentially invasive technologies that we are utilizing. Some software will utilize a back door into laptops that the company can access remotely. We think this is a bad idea for a number of reasons. Our software is designed to send the data collected directly to the owner of the device. When they need assistance they can then forward the information on to us as well as file a police report with our contact details for technical questions.”
GadgetTrak currently provides tracking software for iPods, digital cameras, mobile phones using blackberry, Windows Mobile and Symbian OS’s, as well as Windows and Mac laptops. Westin says iphone and iPod Touch products are in the pipeline.
Visit [GadgetTrak]
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Tags: TV, hi fi, video game, speakers
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