Spying in the Tech Age: iPhones and the BarackBerry

Gone are the days of incriminating paper trails. People’s entire lives – from daily schedules to flight information to offshore bank account numbers to top secret passwords – are stored on their remarkably hack-able mobile devices.

While some people are developing tools to trace and spy on the technology trails people create every day, others are figuring out how to stay connected without leaving their own classified information in the hands of hackers, spies and secret operatives.

Case in point: BlackBerry-addict Barack Obama.

He couldn’t part with his BlackBerry during the campaign and certainly doesn’t want to now that he’s starting his term as the 44th President of the United States. The device is a porthole to the outside world – lose the gadget and he’s in the White House bubble, where all his intelligence on reality comes funneled through other people. Just in case you were wondering, the Secret Service is not a fan of email, nor do they allow communicating via AIM in the White House.

Enter the BarackBerry: It appears the National Security Agency has approved a smartphone for Obama’s use. General Dynamics’ Secreta Edge – at a whopping $3,350 – is reportedly spy-proof (no danger of built-in GPS technologies accurately revealing the President’s location to within a few feet). Its encryption capabilities are good for top secret voice, email and website interactions.

But Obama’s not the only one with cause for concern.

MobileSpy allows iPhone users to track their own calls, text messages, games and GPS data – everything gets sent to the user’s online account. Great if you’re forgetful and want to keep track of yourself…not as great if someone ‘borrows’ your iPhone and installs the software.

You won’t find out – the application tracks without leaving its own trail. We know you keep that phone close at hand anyhow; all the more reason to do so now.