Cell phones forum: Poll: Do you care if all your text messages are recorded?

I think your telephone call example is right on point. No way we would be ok with all our phone calls being recorded. It's no different.

I don't use text messages, but I am against invasion of privacy and any more big government horning in to my life.

Clear, unequivocal invasion of privacy and breach of fifth amendment

We live in a democracy and yet governments take it upon themselves to take away our rights - hello FASCISM!!! We have become a very complacent society and have given up our rights to governments to do as they wish pandering to lobbies. So, put-up and shut-up, or do something like encouraging others to write to our representatives and exercise our rights to deny them our vote if they don't do as we say.

The Constitution is pretty clear, I have the right to be secure in my personal papers. That means electronic communications too. Part of that right is my ability to destroy any papers as I deem necessary, or store them as I deem necessary. The Government has a right to get a search warrant, and search my papers as they exist at the point of service of the warrant. No more and no less. Now, I understand the LEO desire to be able to get as much as a complete history as they can as they can tie history in certain cases to show conspiracy. The reason of course is to keep us safe and protect us. They would love making every one keep a 2 year history on every thing they write or say. The Constitution prohibits that though and should in the case of text messages. This is a conflict with freedom and safety, and not one I would be willing to give to the Government Law Enforcement people. (They are simply people and all it takes is one abuser to falsely convict, or simply use the information to "influence" someone to get a result they want.)

I don't live in the states, but the UK government follows the white house like a mindless little puppy dog. Look how the secret services are turning anyone into a criminal for only speaking out, peaceful demonstrators branded social terrorists, where will it end, an FBI operative posted in every house? Then what? The NYPD already treads all over any area not under their jurisdiction. America already has a massive spy centre in the UK, and we are nothing to do with the US. So much for the title land of the free and freedom of speech. What freedom? This is all designed to clamp down on everyone and force them into silence; lemmings come to mind, and that's what governments want, to be able to do whatever they like without us having a say. I don't agree with hacking at all, but if someone comes up with a gadget or software to disrupt or cause havoc with the system, I'll install straight away. This is just another example Big Brother, it has nothing to do with 9/11 or criminal activities, because these people now tipped off will find another method to communicate.

This is just another dumb idea. Clearly the police can't create an interaction between logic and what exits their mouths:

1. If you weren't sending information considered confidential, there would be no reason for the police to make the request.

2. Why would you bother sending your SMS messages encrypted if they were going to be stored on a strangers server?

3. Why did they create a law prohibiting tapping phones and other forms of surveillance if they are going to allow someone to record every written message i.e. if I'm sitting in my lounge talking, do I want it recorded? No. Is it illegal? Yes. If I'm talking on the phone would I want it recorded? No. Is it illegal? Yes. So, I'd be interested to know why those two are illegal and the written word isn't.

4. They offer no value whatsoever to the police as evidence. So, there's an incriminating message sent from your phone. Who sent it? Totally useless in court as any one knows it would be a perfect tool for setting someone up.

5. It's yet another reason for hacking servers.

Based on this, the only use would be for voyeurism and I would hope the police don't have the time for it.

The police are this dumb and their role is our protection? Well that's scary.......

I am absolutely opposed to this. This is the same as saying we are all suspects before any crime has been committed. What is so bitterly ironic is that these are eerily similar to the attitudes and practices (wire tapping private citizens, reading private mail and then ratting out people to the authorities) that we despised in the Soviet Union and China during the Cold War. We are so quick to believe that this is "for our own protection." Naive and dangerous. Without privacy, individuals have no power. Once your civil rights are gone you won't get them back without a bloody fight.

C. Barnes

The right to privacy exists because we all need a private place for dark
times, or dark people in our lives. We also need a private place for
our bright times and our joys. Whether it's religion, sex, drugs, rock-n-roll or mental illness. We decide
who gets access to our innermost thoughts and concerns. That's more or
less the definition of family and friends. If you have to assume all your texts are
public, you have to communicate in a much more shallow fashion. It hurts
you. It hurts those you love.

Bill Clinton was RIGHT to lie about his affair because it was none of our damn business.
The right to privacy is HUGE.

I absolutely do care, there is no time or place that the Government at any level should be able to see or demand communications that a private person has engaged in without a legal warrant from a constituted Judicial authority! And then, the observations should start at the time the warrant is executed, not before, and there should be no storing of any of those communications prior to that legal warrant! There is way too much intrusion in our lives and there is no need of that kind of intrusion, the police have the power and the methods to investigate anything that they legitimately need to and they don't need totalitarian authority to do their jobs! That goes for all levels of government and all levels of law enforcement authority.

The people who are "opposed" to storing data seemingly don't understand computers, cellphones, data transmission, or anything cyber. The government doesn't have anything to do with this (they can subpoena data, however). The concept of cells and using a device to communicate from cell to cell requires non-human intervention. There is no operator of old who asks you if you want your conversation to be private...or public. Computers do all of this and they LIKE to store data. To BHarris below: So 7 trillion messages at 160 bytes, about a petabyte. Mars-based rovers already upload petabytes of data to Earth. So if you don't want your text messages to be stored (and understood) then...uh....encrypt....I suppose.

This is going to be another expense put on my PHONE BILL by the wireless carriers.
That the customer will have to PAY...I think my PHONE BILL is high a naught..
I can see the righting on the wall...
You no they aren't going to do this for free.... - HOUCH -

I do care, these things are supposed to be private unless of course the cops have infallible evidence to suggest that i'm involved in some criminal activity...stop using technology is the best option at this point...you pay a lot already for these services and now the government wants to invade your privacy, control freaks i tell you! stop using the the Phone, internet, and other technology related services to protest these radical measures!!!

Richard

Does the post office xerox all your letters into a file somewhere?
Good point.
Why are so many of the post offices in small rural areas closing down?
Haven't you read the USPS is supposedly "going bankrupt"?
Maybe because we have forgotten it is still the most private and safest way to communicate personal information.