According to a recent study, cell phone users considered the value of the data and content on the phone (contacts, videos, photos, etc) to be double that of the handset itself. Considering that the most popular phones now retail at around $300 to $400 (even with the wireless service provider discount included therein), it is obvious that users place a high premium on the content they wish to store in the SIM card or virtual “cloud.”
Unsurprisingly then, a disparate group of companies, hackers and governmental agencies have placed a high priority on accessing the content on the cell phone that contains “emotional value,” as well as potentially predictive and informational value. For example, some large retailers have recently attempted to track customer movements by following Wi-Fi signals emitted from smart phones while a customer shops. Using this technology, a company could theoretically glean information stored on a phone, from the user’s sex, to how long the user browsed merchandise prior to purchase.
