Need help of consumer law and unregulated spying on certain mobile phones

[strangeart 10]

I am trying to end or change a phone contract after the wikileaks press meeting yesterday showing the capabilities of certain phones such as i phones and blackberries to track your movements, collate and feed back conversations and take photos without your knowledge. You will find such information on wikileaks as well as leaked information of the huge growth of the unregulated survaillance industry and it's capabilities(see reddit and the wikileaks spyfiles). Now I am a pretty boring person with nothing to hide..but I object to signing a contract and paying out money without being informed by those selling such goods as well being put clearly in the phone contract itself that my phone had the built in capability to spy on my conversations and daily life and feed it back to whosoever is interested. I wish to defend my privacy although I am unsure if wanting to do that is even legal. I certainly will not be taking my phone to the bathroom with me. I have a contract which is three months old. I have explained to the phone provider that I want another phone and they can have the blackberry back. I have been told to buy one and keep the original contact with the providor. I have said this is not good enough and they can send me a new old fashioned phone with no inbuilt spy devices. Anyone know where I stand in consumer law?

[dongle 10]

what about the anpr cameras all over the uk tracking your vehicle movemnets 24/7, or the cctv cameras etc? im sure as you say you have nothing to hide so whats the problem

[strangeart 10]

The problem is I am paying out money for this and bound by contract without granting permission for the use of a spy device in my home. The problem is unlike the cameras on the streets this is unregulated! Should it become regulated then I will not have a problem because there will be some laws into where that information goes and what it is used for and by whom and to what purpose! Until then I bitterly object to more and more privacy being stripped away from the individual. Old fashioned I may be but HG Wells may have had a lot of things right!

[Costanza 10]

Why would anyone want to spy on you?

[strangeart 10]

The capabilities built within these devices are made to spy on the population..who knows why...I don't care why, just ask my permission first before I pay for something that feeds a growth industry that has been secretive and certainly not upfront.

[howden 10]

Why did you agree to the Privacy Policy?

[qazitory 10]

The capabilities built within these devices are made to spy on the population..who knows why...I don't care why, just ask my permission first before I pay for something that feeds a growth industry that has been secretive and certainly not upfront.

 

Do you have a loyalty car for any shops, as they 'spy' on your shopping?

 

Do you surf the net, as websites can 'spy' on what you have previously looked at?

 

Do you drive on the road as there are many road cameras that check you have tax and insurance?

 

Need I go on?

 

If you don't want to be 'spied on', you will have to go and live in a jungle.... although then Google Earth will still spy on you

[ChrisT70 10]

this is the reason i often sit with tinfoil wrapped around my head, just incase they are listening to my thoughts....

[Bambeano 10]

The mobile phone is not part of your contract it is merely a gift to invite you to sign into the contract. This is the reason you are free to sell your phone at anytime and if it breaks they have no obligation to repair it beyond the manafacturers warranty.

 

You are paying for your minutes, texts and data and the service of being connected to their network, not to be tied to the handset that you choose. I feel that a bit of research into smart phones would have been advisable as they all do it on some level.

 

The network (if they wish too) can trace you location from any handset...not just new ones......just these report back to their prducer... android to google, apple & Blackberry... hence the advertisements that appear on apps and web pages as they know your "trend". Its the same with the internet and other examples given above and I do not know of a term that the operators have breached to cancel your contract sorry.

[martss 10]

I used my iPhone on the loo..... But I always cover the camera lens up, there's no way I'm going to let anyone take a photo of my bathroom floor!

Edited December 7, 2011 by martss
Spelling

[Hiho 10]

Wow breach of privacy I say!

[Anglersvista 10]

this is the reason i often sit with tinfoil wrapped around my head, just incase they are listening to my thoughts....

 

Don't you wrap a damp towel around your head and extract the bug from up your nose as in 'Total Recall'.