racoma.com.phJ. Angelo Racoma on technology, economics, writing, problogging, and getting things done

Despite all the surprise and questions arising from the iPhone/iPad tracking its users, it looks like all the answers are in the Privacy Policy you agreed to when you buy your iPhone.

We may collect information such as occupation, language, zip code, area code, unique device identifier, location, and the time zone where an Apple product is used so that we can better understand customer behavior and improve our products, services, and advertising.

So it was not “hidden” after all, but rather something to allow Apple to better their advertising. The question still remains though: how does Apple process this information if it’s supposed not leave your device?

Lesson learned: read the details of the papers before agreeing to something.

[Article via: Engadget | Image via: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)]

It was widely reported yesterday that someone saw a keylogging program on two Samsung laptops bought from different stores.

The news broke saying that a well known keylogging program called Starlogger was discovered by a security software on two laptops bought at different locations. When the user called customer service, the person on the other line said that it was placed there to “monitor the performance of the machine and to find out how it is being used.”

After this news was spread all over the Internet, Samsung immediately investigated the situation and saw that it was a “false positive”. The user’s security software mistakenly identified a file as Starlogger when it was not.

[Article via: Engadget | Image via: Samsung]

Some people do the stupidest things with information entrusted to them. Take this case for example. PTB contributor Arnold Gamboa discovered that a certain website purporting to belong to the Commission on Elections NCR (National Capital Region) has published the entire list of registrants for the region.

I think COMELEC made a terrible — make that stupid — mistake by publishing the personal information of thousands of NCR’s registered voters. Comelecncr.com — NOT .gov, take note (is this even sanctioned by the government?) is a partnership between a COMELEC official named Dir. Ferdinand Rafanan and San Miguel Corporation (yes, what does a multi-million peso company has to do with Philippine elections?).

Dir. Rafanan said the goal is transparency. Ok, sounds like a noble intention. But the big question is, does publishing someone’s name, registration number and home address over the internet where billions of people can access a violation of the right to privacy?

If I were a stalker (which I sometimes am), this makes for good resource material. I’d better save the entire list then on my hard drive, for future reference! Now more dangerously–if I had a grudge against someone but I didn’t know where he lived, I could check out the list. Or if I’m a politico, and I want to send out campaign materials via snail mail (a.ka. SPAM) to people, I could use this info. Or what if I run a business? I no longer have to buy address lists. I just check out the registrants list and I now have people’s full names, birth dates and home addresses.

Oh, and their web design sucks. Frames? Tables? Animated GIFs? Marquee text? Oh my God!!! Looks like the site was made with MS Frontpage. Wait. It is!