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[ NNSquad ] When Intel does it, it's Evil, but when The Steve does it, nobody cares?



----- Forwarded message from Dave Farber <dave@farber.net> -----

Date: Sun, 3 Oct 2010 13:47:28 -0400
From: Dave Farber <dave@farber.net>
Subject: [IP] When Intel does it, it's Evil, but when The Steve does it,
	nobody cares?
Reply-To: dave@farber.net
To: ip <ip@listbox.com>
654A0A02-CF16-11DF-B203-ABD14A3287EA: 




Begin forwarded message:

> From: Randall <rvh40@insightbb.com>
> Date: October 3, 2010 1:29:13 PM EDT
> To: johnmacsgroup@yahoogroups.com, Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne@warpspeed.com>, David Farber <dave@farber.net>
> Subject: When Intel does it, it's Evil, but when The Steve does it, nobody cares?
> 

> From: Thad Floryan
> To: telecom-digest.org.
> Subject: iPhone applications privacy issues
> Message-ID: <4CA67255.2070304@thadlabs.com>
> 
> iPhone Applications & Privacy Issues: An Analysis of Application
> Transmission of iPhone Unique Device Identifiers (UDIDs)
> 
> <http://www.pskl.us/wp/?p=476>
> 
> In 1999, Intel released its newest CPU - the Pentium 3.
> Each processor included a unique serial number, visible
> to any software installed on the system.  A product
> backlash quickly developed as privacy rights groups
> realized that this serial number could be used to track
> users' online behavior.  The industry, along with trade
> groups and governments, blasted this new feature; many
> governments went as far as proposing legislation to ban
> the use of Pentium 3 CPUs.  Following the outcry, Intel
> quickly removed the serial number feature from their
> processor line, never to be re-introduced.
> 
> Fast forward a decade to the introduction of Apple's
> iPhone platform.  Much like the Pentium 3, devices running
> the Apple iPhone operating system (IOS), including Apple
> iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches, feature a software-
> readable serial number - a "Unique Device Identifier,"
> or UDID.  In order to determine if the privacy fears
> surrounding the Pentium 3 have manifested themselves on
> the iPhone platform, we studied a number of iPhone apps
> from the "Most Popular" and "Top Free" categories in
> Apple's App Store.  For these applications, we collected
> and analyzed the data being transmitted between installed
> applications and remote servers using several open source
> tools.  We found that 68% of these applications were
> transmitting UDIDs to servers under the application
> vendor's control each time the application is launched.
> Furthermore, 18% of the applications tested encrypted
> their communications such that it was not clear what
> type of data was being shared.   A scant 14% of the
> tested applications appear to be clean.  We also
> confirmed that some applications are able to link the
> UDID to a real-world identity.
> 
> The iPhone's UDID is eerily similar to the Pentium 3's
> Processor Serial Number (PSN).  While the Pentium 3 PSN
> elicited a storm of outrage from privacy rights groups
> over the inherent risks associated with the sharing of
> such information with third parties, no such concerns
> have been raised up to this point regarding the iPhone
> UDID.  As UDIDs can be readily linked to personally-
> dentifiable information, the "Big Brother" concerns
> from the Pentium 3 era should be a concern for today's
> iPhone users as well.
> 
> The full report is available here:
> 
> <http://www.pskl.us/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/iPhone-Applications-Privacy-Issues.pdf>
> 

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----- End forwarded message -----