Wireless Applications and Privacy 1

Wireless Applications and Privacy

Youssef Zinoun
Southern New Hampshire University








Professor: Dr. Potter, A.
IT-641 Telecommunications for Business
14 December 2013


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Wireless Applications and Privacy
While Current smartphone have features and applications that violate the users privacy. Some
of these privacy erosion is voluntary done by people posting their personal information on social media
like Facebook and Twitter. More crafty privacy threats are concealed within smartphone features like
location based maps and driving directions, and various downloadable applications that contain user
location. Some applications in best case scenario, can overwhelm you with massive location based
advertising, Of course, user location is not the only privacy issue associated with todays smartphones.
The typical phone carries call history logs, contact lists, SMS contents, personal and family photos, and
other personal data. As computers and mobile devices have expanded the risks of privacy erosion, the
effort to adapt existing legal protections and Constitutional guarantees to the new digital realm has
repeatedly dawdled behind.
Mobile banking Risks
Mobile banking has the potential to provide convenience to consumers and new service
opportunities for financial institutions, mobile network operators and Apps developers. But also risks
still exist when customers make payments, funds transfers and account monitoring by mobile devices.
Among These risks that banks and applications developers need to consider: Fraudulent access to
mobile banking accounts can prevent customers from accessing their accounts, there is also a potential
cyber security issue like a malware or a virus get access to their mobile devices when downloading a
mobile application. Other risks include systems failure, consumers making incorrect transactions due to
unfamiliarity with new banking apps, and even money laundering when security features like identity
verification are not integrated in these apps. The providers of mobile banking services must ensure that
their products are protected, consistent and easy to use by including encryption when transmitting and
storing consumers data, make sure to de-identify users information before sharing it with a third party,
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and consider using two-level authentication, such as confirmation text messages, or one-time passwords
specific to the banking application.
Consumers using mobile banking apps need also to consider certain action to mitigate these
risks like having a strong pin code and a phone lock service ensuring that in case they lose their phone,
others cannot access easily their accounts, making sure they enter correct account details when making
payments, and ensuring that apps downloaded to their phones dont have malwares or viruses.
Future wireless application for daily personal life
A future application that I think would be useful in my personal daily life is a smart app that can
analyze my daily activities and behavioral data for patterns and learns through predictive analytics, how
better it can help me. For example, it can link to weather forecasts and recommend type of clothes to
wear, check on flight schedule and inform me of any changes on travel itineraries, and alert me for
upcoming appointments etc.
Privacy erosion with future wireless technologies
As we become more dependent on technology in our daily life, we have to consider losing some of
our expectations of privacy. Future wireless applications couples with other advancement in Information
technology will diminish our privacy and freedom rights. Main aspects of privacy chip away similar to the
internet, will be present in several future technologies:
Surveillance technology: With larger spreading of sensors in public spaces like facial, voice, and
behavior recognition cameras, license plate recognition systems, RFID readers, and other
devices producing at a continuous base a huge amount of data about us.
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GPS equipped devices like cellphones, cameras, and navigation devices are used to pinpoint
exactly our locations at an exact date and time and also collect and store this historical data to
be used for advertising or government surveillance programs.
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips are used in a large array of products and services
that we use from clothing, credit cards, passports and some ticket stubs and shortly they will
make to drivers licenses, and clubs membership cards. These data transmitters send a load of
information every time we walk into a store or drive down the highway.
Smart meters technology is similar to cell phones and RFID tags because it transmits a large
amount of personal data about activities within our home.
I think our technology adoption should not come at a hefty price of our personal freedom and
privacy rights. Technology advancement should make life better for individuals without compromising
their privacy and personal information and jeopardizing their security and safety.









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References
Alex Kozinski, A. & Nguyen, E. (2012). Has Technology Killed the Fourth Amendment? CATO
Organization. Retrieved from http://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/serials/files/supreme-
court-review/2012/9/scr-2012-kozinski-nguyen.pdf
Anderson, J. & Rainie, L. (2012). The Future of Apps and Web. PEW Internet. Retrieved from
http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2012/Future-of-Apps-and-Web/Overview.aspx
Drucker, E. (2013).The Growing Issue of Wireless Privacy. Wireless Week Magazine. Retrieved from
http://www.wirelessweek.com/articles/2013/08/magazine-growing-issue-wireless-privacy
Ken Tysiac, K. (2013). Five risky areas in mobile banking. CGMA Magazine. Retrieved from
http://www.cgma.org/magazine/news/pages/20138620.aspx
Schneider, I. (2012). 5 Critical Strategies for Mobile Banking Security. Bank Systems & Technology.
Retrieved from http://www.banktech.com/risk-management/5-critical-strategies-for-mobile-
banking/240003902