Docomo makes smartphones covertly trackable by Japanese authorities
Mobile carrier NTT Docomo said Tuesday five new smartphone models will allow investigative authorities to track the phones’ locations without users being aware of it.
A spokesman said the company has already been providing such data in some circumstances, mostly relating to crime investigations.
“If requested, we provided positional information using the GPS systems on phones to emergency services such as the police, ambulance services and the Japan Coast Guard, in line with proper guidelines,” the spokesman told The Japan Times.
Current phone models alert their users when the GPS locator is activated remotely.
Long-running guidelines by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications required carriers to obtain the permission of users before providing such data to government entities. But in June 2015, the ministry dropped this requirement.
The spokesman said this change prompted the company to develop smartphone models that can be tracked discreetly.
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This is just the beginning. There's no reason not to expect this type of surveillance to expand as much as the technology of the time allows.
Coming next: covert access to your smartphone camera?
*** shudder ***