The Issue of Phone Spying - Essay Example

Insert Introduction There is a day Michael Vincent Hayden, the former Director of the National Security Agency, retired US Air Force four-star general and the Director of Central Intelligence Agency walked his wife into an Apple store. No sooner had they entered the store than a salesman approached them and reveled in the iPhone which already had 400,000 apps for the self-same device. To this presentation, Hayden was amused and turned to his wife and quietly and remarked that he was certain the salesman neither knew him, nor the fact that the 400,000 apps he was bragging about meant 400,000 possible attacks. Although intelligence and experts may rightly point out that Hayden may have slightly exaggerated the susceptibility of smartphones, yet many have used the same rationale to discount the usefulness of smartphones. The same have opined that smartphones and other electronic devices push people into personal enclaves, destroy the thumb, eyesight and alter human behaviour. Thesis statement However, in spite of all the perceived setbacks which are attributed to smartphones and similar electronic gadgets, smartphones and electronic gadgets are essentially good in that they facilitate communication. One of the characteristics of smartphones is that they are an integration of mobile phone systems or applications and computer systems. Because of this, there are indispensable values that accost the use of smartphones. One of the fundamental values of smartphones is that they facilitate communication through the conventional subscriber trunk dialing system. Like the rest of their humbler mobile phones, smartphones allow the possessor to dial a number and to communicate with the target from the other end, provided the caller is operating within the parameter of the terms and conditions set by the mobile network services provider and the constitution. This mobile telephone call communication can be either local or transnational and therefore deals a terrible claim, the claim that smartphones plug-in and isolate people. In fact, as opposed to the conventional system of communication where verbal communication is accompanied by face-to-face contact, communication through this system allows people from any part of the world to communicate, and thereby significantly knitting this world into a global village and bringing people closer than never before (Min, 13). Second, it is important to acknowledge the fact that smartphones are fit with Internet access, either via a cellular network or Wi-Fi. This means that smartphones keeps people connected to their favourite social network. The import of this is that running to the cybercafé, a personal computer or a laptop to log in to one’s favourite social network has been rendered unnecessary as anyone with a Smartphone or similar electronic gadgets such as tablets and iPads can visit any online social network anytime and from any point of the world. This again debunks the unfounded charge against smartphones and similar electronic gadgets contain people into their own world. The height of this accusation’s implausibility is illustrated by the fact that smartphones, tablets and iPads allow even people in traffic or in the remotest villages in the world to connect with those in rich capitals such as London, Washington and Amsterdam, through online social networks. In a closely related wavelength, since smartphones and iPads and tablets are Internet-enabled, it is fitting that anyone who possesses them can use the Internet search engine to carry out personal research, read, access study materials, shop at online markets and stores, access the latest news and sports items and to watch favourite music videos via YouTube. The import of this is that there great exposure to the outside world that comes with the possession of a Smartphone, a tablet or an iPad. For instance, accessing study materials means having access to an online library and this also means, having the chance to access postings from study peers. Just as Felt, Egelman & Wagner observe, smartphones also come with multiple emailing services and accounts. To this effect, there are smartphones which allow users to open multiple email accounts from the same or variable companies such as Gmail, Yahoo and Hotmail. It is therefore given that Smartphone users can read, receive and reply mails from the palm of their hands whether the users are in a queue in a bank, post office, at the airport, in a restaurant or at home. Unlike personal computers, cybercafé services or laptops, smartphones allow users to access mails immediately they are sent to them, and this significantly abates chances for missing important mails. This means that smartphones can also facilitate business and professional relationships (Felt, Egelman & Wagner, 35-37). In the same vein, smartphones allow users to view, read, edit and send attachments. This enables Smartphone users to access and study, work on and send reports to the boss before deadlines, or before a specific schedule. This Smartphone-specific quality is important for the cultivation of career and professional relations. Smartphones are also fit with Instant Messaging services that are available on many models. These services enable Smartphone owners to chat in real time, send a text message and to make a call. Chats, calls and text messages are all forms of communication and transcend the space and time barriers to effective communication. Additionally, according to Shin and Choo smartphones come with multipurpose personal digital assistant [PDA]. Likewise, these smartphones have powerful built-in processors and memory and come equipped with a calendar, address book, calculator, a voice recorder and many other features that facilitate information. For instance, with a Smartphone, a user can do videography and post the captured data on YouTube for sharing. This means that unlike conventional forms of communication, smartphones and other electronic gadgets such as iPads and tablets not only facilitate exchange of information but also allow the retrieval of the same information. The import of this is that these gadgets are very important for promoting communication and storing and retrieving information (Shin and Choo, 75-78). Another feather in Smartphone’s cap is its GPS enablement. GPS enables the Smartphone user to locate and identify places that are new to him. This makes all forms of tour navigable. The crux of the matter at hand is that smartphones facilitate traveling and tours, physical and interpersonal interactions of people, instead of pushing people to personal enclaves. Reflections on Criticism Leveled Against Smartphones and Electronic Gadgets The reservations and criticisms that are held towards the use of smartphones are not in order because they are not inherent to the [same] gadgets. The aspects being cited such as isolation, injury of the thumb, damage to the eyesight and alteration of human behaviour can all be abated with responsible use. Anything that is done or used outside the confines of self-control and limitation is likely to bring about side effects. There are also manuals on how to operate smartphones to ward off the danger of thumb injury. Texting while walking and using extra energy on the touch screen are some of the hazardous actions that are cautioned against. Cases of phone spying are not specific to smartphones and electronic gadgets such as tablets and iPads. Even landline telephones, mail accounts and postal addresses are susceptible to spying or acts of espionage. Shunning the use of smartphones merely because Hayden showed that iPhone apps are vulnerable to acts of espionage is akin to making a dereliction on Internet use because of spying. The solution to acts of espionage is not shunning smartphones and tablets since phones with smaller capacities are also subject to acts of espionage. On the contrary, those who are concerned about mobile phone espionage should press for legislation to proscribe unwarranted acts of espionage. Works Cited Felt, Adrienne, Egelman, Serge & Wagner, David. “Ive got 99 Problems, But Vibration Aint One: A Survey of Smartphone Users Concerns.” Proceedings of the Second ACM Workshop on Security and Privacy in Smartphones and Mobile Devices, 2.5 (2012): 33 44. Print Min Kwon, et al. “The Smartphone Addiction Scale: Development and Validation of a Short Version for Adolescents.” PLoS One, 8.12 (2013): 12-23. Print Shin, Dong-hee and Choo, Hyungseung. “Exploring Cross-Cultural Value Structures with Smartphones.” Journal of Global Information Management, 20.2 (2012): 67 – 93. Print Read More