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Privacy: Corporate snoopers
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 7 Feb 1997 02:06:07 -0800 (PST)
From: TipWorld <tipworld@idgnewsletters.com>
TipWorld - http://www.tipworld.com
The Internet's #1 Source for Computer Tips, News, and Gossip
Proudly presents:
Don Crabb--Crustacean-at-Large
Computer Industry Gossip of the Day
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WHO'S LISTENING?
We've all read about snoopers using police scanners to listen in on
cellular phone calls. Apparently, those folks have not yet got a life.
Now, the Crusty One has discovered that several security firms in
Chicago and New York are specializing in snooping on corporate data by
tracking and recording cellular data calls made by traveling workers.
Cellular data collection has become big business for these firms, who
talked to Crusty only on condition of anonymity. One source told your
Watery Wayfarer that "We have quite a few Fortune 1000 clients. The CIOs
of these companies come to us with a goal in mind: covertly gathering
data about the competition in order to help guide their competitive
moves. In recent months, we've been able to snag quite a lot of
unencrypted data by locking onto cellular data calls and producing a
magnetic record for our clients. For which, of course, we are paid
handsomely. To the tune of a $10,000 flat startup fee for our service,
and daily fees of $2,000 to $10,000, depending upon the level of
electronic data capture the client wants. Our biggest client, a New York
bank, and one of the ten largest banks in the world, has already spent
more than $200,000 over the last six months on data snooping. Which just
goes to show you that this is a growing market."
Growing, indeed, the Crusty One opines. Growing to the point that the
Federal Government might want to consider unleashing an FBI sting
operation to arrest some of these cretinous data spies. Because, of
course, stealing corporate data by means of stealth just happens to be A
FEDERAL CRIME!
On another note, the Crustmeister General reports that after having the
bluest day of his life and rambling on, most depressingly, about Apple
Computer, Inc.'s latest reorg plans earlier this week, he's now more
sanguine--having had a chance to have the plans explained to him by new
Apple marketing honcho, and former Claris President, Guerrino De Luca.
Which means that your Carapacious Reporter is once again cautiously
optimistic about the gang in Cupertino getting its act in gear, for the
first time in a long time.