The Spy in Your Phone

The Spy in Your Phone

2021, Technology  -   9 Comments
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Ratings: 7.00/10 from 78 users.

Everyone has a smart phone these days. This device keeps us connected with each other and with the wider world. It stores our data, keeps us entertained, and enables us to get so much more done than we normally would without it. It is a powerful device.

However, there are dangers that come with such a small device having such an enormous influence on our lives. It means that with the click of a button and the right skills, people with ill intentions might find a direct and inconspicuous way into our personal lives. For the average individual, personal privacy comes with concerns about how social media and messaging sites store our data and who they provide access to this data. However, the bigger picture reveals the possibility of being targeted and even more concerning - mass surveillance by the government.

A practical way to look at it is to consider the cost of the spyware in this technological sphere. What is the cost for developing it, and who can really afford to fund it? When it is created, who is likely to buy it? And finally, when it is used, what is the cost to its victims? Even the layperson may have seen the news reports about the assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and seen the role his own personal device played in his demise. If this incident is any indication, it does not bode well for anyone who may find themselves a target.

It raises the question of how possible it is for organizations or individuals to spy on targets. Is there any way to realize when you are being targeted? What form of preventative or retroactive action can you take to protect your data? Is the government really capable of mass surveillance and even if they could, would they? How likely is it for the average citizen to be targeted and if not the average citizen, then who are usual targets, and why?

Targets of spyware and hacking speak about their experience and how they were able to uncover who was behind their hackings and talk about why they were targets. It reveals a complex network of persons and institutions including secret technology companies in the Middle East, American spies, government officials and institutions, journalists and human rights workers. Throughout the documentary valuable insights are shared about the possible intentions and methods of persons who perpetuate these cyber crimes.

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john anonymous
john anonymous
1 year ago

Personally I have never had a so called smart phone, and neither do I want one.I see so many people addicted to them, some are unable to have meaningful conversations anymore, and look like robots walking about with their surveillance devices. I have said for years this is big brother tech but no one cares.The thing is, all the data is stored, who is to say in the future this could be sued against you in the future? Employers could have access as well as anyone who requests or pays for it. At the beginning people should have asked questions and demanded privacy but they did not.Who ever reads the APP small print? No one. Access to ALL your contacts, access to your camera and microphone and locations. Sod that. I am quite happy with my NEW dumb phone.

Arlo
Arlo
2 years ago

The horse has already left the barn! It's too late to close this Pandora box! This spying tech has been done by the US a long time ago, 1970 to be exact (all the way to 2018). Look up AG Crypto, the CIA and the German BND. Together they sold top secret tainted communication equipment to 120 nations in the world in order to spy every government, their leaders, their agencies. Now, this toy Pegasus from Israel is nothing compare to the toys that the CIA, the NSA, and other US intel agencies have in their operations. Read Edward Snowden books and articles.

jon
jon
2 years ago

George Orewll's "1948" Big Brother and Big Tech. No difference. Terrifying what the world will look like in 20 years. Freedom (gone), Privacy(gone) and Censorship (standard). And we did it to ourselves.

Moe Badderman
Moe Badderman
3 years ago

# "Everyone has a smart phone these days."
No, not "everyone". I have an old dumb phone, with voice+text only. No apps, no wi-fi, no Internet, no extras. It does what I need it to do, and it's cheap.

User-1
User-1
3 years ago

Good doc! I miss the PBS broadcast of Al Jazeera. Pretty dang straight forward people. Considering their origins, they've done quite well.

I'm worried the US has spyware where the victim never has to even do that first step of clicking anything.

Jackal
Jackal
3 years ago

Most of us are too small time to be affected by spyware and I'm not going to worry too much about it. What is more annoying is the small time people that seem to originate out of India who persist on sending undesirable emails to my computer. Most of these, even though deleted, and your junk mail deleted as well, stay in your computer for life.