Google Phone

In class the other day an interview was read out loud concerning Google's brand new cell phone software. Their angle on how to top Apple's iPhone seems effective, but any smart consumer can see that they are "paying" for functions in a different way. Google says they are eliminating paying for air-time; the owner of the phone will not have to pay for accessing the internet on their T-Mobile G1 (and other phones in the future that may be released with this software). The catch is that there will be increased advertising on the phone to make up for the profits lost. Now, we have already seen the dangers of digital advertising on our computers; from cookies to the dreaded "consumer panopticon." However, introducing these things into mobile devices creates a much scarier version of "personal data collection." Not only can the person's interests and internet history be tracked, but also their phone number, and, given the GPS included in most high-end phones, their location. Information like this could be analyzed to determine their whereabouts at certain times, and further used to "spam" users in other aspects of their life. The other concern is that a phone is on someone's person a lot more than they are at a computer; once again leading to more data to be sent to the "consumer panopticon." While most consumers who buy the new T-Mobile G1, complete with google's cell phone interface, will enjoy their monetary savings and free web access, they are paying for these freedoms. The cost? One of the most valuable morals protected in our society: their privacy.