Reporting Stolen Laptops

Unfortunately, not many people bother to report stolen laptops. In the event that your device is stolen, take the time to file a police report and contact the manufacturer. Your manufacturer may be able to locate the device in the future if someone attempts to register the product or obtain service and support. The police can also check the serial number against recovered stolen property, which may result in your laptop being returned to you at some point.

Threats to privacy:

One potential drawback to ubiquitous mobile devices is the threat to personal privacy that they can represent. Most of us store personal data, including financial data and e-mail, on our portables. This information can be compromised if it's lost or stolen.
Even more threatening is the current trend of including GPS and tracking services with mobile devices. Often targeted at parents and business, these tracking services, if abused, can be used to conduct surveillance on unsuspecting users and track then movements.

Cell phone service providers have always been able to do this to some extent by noting which call came from what phone and through which tower. Police have used these records in the past and used them to convict criminals.

In recent years the accuracy of tracking a mobile phone has increased. By using the signal received by three or more towers, cell phone companies can triangulate the position of a cell phone more accurately. This technology was pushed by legislation that required cell phone service providers to locate the origin of a 911 call. The upside of this is that if you are ever in an emergency and you don't know where you are, 911 can triangulate your position with the help of the telephone company and then send help.

GPS services are even more accurate, often to within a few feet. Many new phones have GPS functionality built in so that the phone can be located at any time. Once again, this is great if you have an emergency, but the potential for abuse of the system is scary.

Already services are appearing that allow people to check the location of a mobile phone at any time. Although tracking a mobile phone requires the user's prior consent, the potential for abuse still exists, especially in countries that do not have strong privacy laws or that do not value the privacy of their citizens.

Even with privacy laws and regulations in place, the potential threat to privacy is great. Any time data is" collected and stored in a database, it can potentially be accessed by unauthorized persons or abused by the database owner for marketing and research purposes. The possibility of data mining through interconnected databases increases the risk to privacy, allowing companies and governments to compile complete profiles of individuals' habits and movements.

Pay careful attention to the privacy policies of your ISP and mobile phone provider. The best way to protect your privacy is not to opt-in unknowingly, and to know how to opt-out should you want to. Carefully weigh the pros and cons of each service.

For example, as a parent you may want to be able to track the location of your child's cell phone. This could provide peace of mind in a scary world. On the other hand, do you want your employer to have a record of your movements? If they pay for your cell service, they may be entitled to track the phone and in the near future that will be an easy thing for them to do.