Author Archive: Gareth

T-Mobile’s employees selling your personal information

In a follow up to this story I noticed a post on Pocket Gamer naming the company. That would be T-Mobile. read on for more:

[Editor’s note: the title of this story originally read ‘Mobile operator under investigation…’ After publication the operator in question was revealed as T-Mobile. The text of the story is unaltered.]

The Information Commissioner’s Office has told BBC News that staff at one of the UK’s major mobile network operator’s are under investigation for selling customer data to brokers, who then forwarded the information to rival companies that called customers as contracts came to an end.
The firm in question (which hasn’t been named) apparently alerted the privacy watchdog after it became suspicious of the private data trading, and has since been aiding investigators in uncovering the details.

Looking for a good checkback as a requirement for anybody applying for NSV security clearance.
“We are considering the evidence with a view to prosecuting those responsible and I am keen to go much further and close down the entire unlawful industry in personal data,” Information commissioner Christopher Graham said, adding, “The existing paltry fines… are simply not enough to deter people from engaging in this lucrative criminal activity. The threat of jail, not fines, will prove a stronger deterrent.”
The case highlights the profitability of selling private data, which is illegal without the customer’s express permission, and the Ministry of Justice is currently considering tougher penalties for illegal data trading.

Operator in data protection breach

Blinding article from Mobile Today here regarding a nasty operator that is selling your personal details. It’s unknown which operator it is however I’m sure it will be released soon. I have my suspicion. Here the full article:

Unnamed UK mobile company being investigated by Information Commissioner’s Office for illegally selling customer data

A major UK mobile phone company has come under fire from the Information Commissioner’s Office for selling unauthorised customer data.

Information Commissioner Christopher Graham told the BBC that millions of details from thousands of customers had been sold to brokers who had sold the data onto other mobile phone companies. The customers were then contacted as their contracts reached their expiry date.

Information Commissioner’s Office representatives have already obtained search warrants to enter premises and have also interviewed employees, according to the BBC.

The BBC has also reported that Graham is planning to prosecute those involved.

He said he did not name the company so as not to prejudice a future trial; and that there is a need for a prison sentence to prevent people from selling private data to third parties.

Windows Marketplace for Mobile now available on 6.0 and 6.1 devices

Good news if your one of the many Windows Phone users whose manufacturers or networks have let you down badly by not releasing an update to 6.5 and the much sought after Marketplace application.

You can now download this officially from Microsoft although it does require you to submit your mobile number to receive an SMS message with a link to the download.

All the information can be found right here.

Twitter comes to Orange UK

The UK has had an outsized cultural impact on the world. From music to sports to literature… and now – MMS with Twitter.

Today, not only has Orange UK turned on Twitter SMS, but it has added a first-of-its-kind special enhancement. Orange UK users can also send picture messages (MMS) to 86444 in addition to text messages because of a site that Orange UK has created calledSnapshot. The best part is that it is incredibly simple to use:

1. Take a photo on your Orange mobile phone

2. Select ‘Send via MMS’ or ‘Send multimedia message’

3. Send it to 86444

Twitter does not charge for this service. It’s just like sending and receiving messages with your friends — your carrier’s standard messaging rates apply. Give it a try by sending a text message to 86444 with the word "START." This means that with the same shortcode, 86444, UK users can tweet via SMS with Vodafone, O2, and now Orange.

via Twitter

Nokia E72 in stores now

Espoo, Finland – The highly-anticipated Nokia E72, a device tailor-made for business and personal messaging is now available in stores. The Nokia E72 builds on the formula from Nokia’s most successful full QWERTY keyboard device, the Nokia E71, and adds important new functionality such as desktop-like email and chat experiences. Morevoer, the latest version of Ovi Maps with A-GPS navigation and compass, an optical navi key and 5 megapixel camera are all packed into the sleek, beautifully-designed handset.

The Nokia E72 also comes with Nokia’s push consumer email service, Nokia Messaging, and now for the first time people can set up instant messaging (IM) directly from the homescreen, accessing communities such as Windows Live(TM) Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk and Ovi Chat. Just like chatting via the desktop, people can respond to friends and colleagues across multiple communities in real-time.

Via Press Release

msmobiles.com Podcast 306

msmobiles.com Podcast 306
(format: MP3)
(right click above to download the podcast)

You can listen to this podcast also from this web page, through the Flash player:

URL to RSS feed of this podcast (for your podcast catcher) is:
http://x.msmobiles.com/portal/podcast.xml

If you use iTunes then click HERE to subscribe to this podcast.

In this episode Edward from msmobiles.com is chatting with: Alli from JustAnotherGeekSite.com, Gareth from Mobile Tech Addicts.

Desktop version of Windows Mobile marketplace spotted

Interesting article over a WMpoweruser relating to a desktop portal to the Windows Mobile marketplace. Playstation Network has a similar setup and obviously it will draw parallels with Itunes but at any rate it will be nice to have some movement towards a better Marketplace environment.

It seems Phase 2 of Marketplace for Windows Mobile is on us, with the he Windows Mobile Developer Blog announcing:

Cameron’s Avatar comes to iPhone on December 15, 2009

Orange defending Unlimited* 750mb data cap

The BBC have done a little digging around the 750mb data cap on the Orange iPhone contracts and it’s quite interesting that Orange still feel the need to enforce this despite O2 merely threatening those to abuse their generosity. I’m certain that Unlimited meant no limits, but I guess my dictionary must be in need of updating.  See the article after the break:

o2 deliver iPhone unlock as promised

As we reported a few days ago, o2 have promised to unlock iPhones that are on pay monthly anytime and after 12 months if your iPhone is on pay as you go. They have a form that you need to fill in to request the unlock and then wait a maximum of 14 days. My situation was a little different, yes I have an iPhone on pay monthly but I bought an iPhone 3GS on pay as you go back in July.

I filled out the form and put in the IMEI number of my iPhone 3GS and hoped for the best, about 15 minutes ago I received a text from O2 telling me the iPhone had been unlocked.