Mobile phone firm denies privacy breach
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Mobile phone giant Palm has responded to claims that its recently launched smartphone violates users' privacy.
One owner of the Pre, which is not yet available in the UK, discovered that his phone was sending information back to Palm - including details of the handset's location and which applications were used and for how long.
American software developer Joey Hess posted on his blog that he noticed his phone was uploading data back to the company. He said the phone location was identified as the same place marked in the map application of the handset, which had sometimes been accurate enough to find his house.
He said the reports sent back to Palm also included information about application crashes, even those not noticed by the Pre owner, but he had found a way to disable them.
In a statement, the phone manufacturer said: "Palm takes privacy very seriously, and offers users ways to turn data collecting services on and off."
It added that the firm's privacy policy was similar to many others in the industry and includes information about "potential scenarios in which we might use a customer's information, all toward a goal of offering a great user experience".
It said facilities such as Google Maps used the location information to produce useful results for users.
It continued: "We appreciate the trust that users give us with their information, and have no intention to violate that trust."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments