Digital Survival - mobile phone

Mobile phone security & privacy

katie — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 12:00:37 +0000

Mobile phones carry a vast amount of data; not just your contacts but also logs of calls made and received, and of SMS messages sent and received. They can reveal a lot about you; for example, the list of all your contacts in your mobile phone shows exactly who you are working with. If you are working on a politically sensitive issue this can put you and everyone you work with at risk. There are obvious security concerns for people who use mobile phones to record video or take photos in sensitive situations. If a phone is confiscated or found with footage in it that incriminates others, those people could be put at risk as well as the phone's owner. Great caution should be exercised at all times. Special care needs to be taken if and when this content is transmitted over the mobile network as mobile phone service providers can be pressured to hand over records of activity on particular phones. Networks also automatically track the location of each and every active mobile phone – this is done for the purposes of routing calls and messages. This means that members of the public (or at least their phones) can be pinpointed to a specific location at a specific time. The only way to ensure your location cannot be identified is to turn your phone off and remove its battery. Mobile phone cameras also routinely store the location where an image was taken, along with details of date, time and the type of camera or phone used. This information, or metadata, is stored as part of the JPEG standard which is the file format most commonly used for digital images. This information could be useful to you in some circumstances – to prove that you were in a particular place at a particular time to witness an event – but it could also get you into trouble, depending on the situation. Tools are available which enable this ‘hidden’ information to be viewed, and (in most cases) removed, before the image is forwarded to others. You can download a free tool called JPEG Stripper (http://www.steelbytes.com/?mid=30) which will help you remove metadata from your images.

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Mobile phone security checklist

katie — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 11:58:29 +0000

When using your phone, remain aware of your surroundings and do not use it in crowded areas or where you feel unsafe.
Avoid displaying your phone in public. Keep it with you at all times and do not leave it unattended.
Always use a PIN code to unlock your phone's keypad and functions. See the phone's security settings to set this. Use invisible ink to mark the phone and battery with your postcode and street number or the first two letters of your house name. This can be helpful in recovering your phone if it is lost or stolen.
The 15-digit serial or IMEI number helps to identify your phone. This can be accessed by looking behind the battery of your phone – it should be visible as a 15 digit number. Make a note of this number and keep it separate from your phone, as this number could help the police to trace ownership quickly if it is stolen.

For more information, visit the Security section of the Mobiles in-a-box toolkit (http://mobiles.tacticaltech.org/security)

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Connecting to your Computer

katie — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 10:58:53 +0000

When choosing a mobile phone you should ensure that it is compatible with your computer operating system (e.g. Mac/Windows/Linux). You will need to connect your mobile phone to your computer to transfer multimedia files, and to back up information, such as your contacts. In order to do this you will first need to install software on your computer that will allow you to manage your phone's content on the computer. This software is usually provided when you buy a phone. However, if you have acquired a second-hand phone or lost the package your phone came in, you can always check the manufacturer's website and download the software from there.

Once the software is installed, there are three ways to connect your mobile phone to your computer:

Using the data cable supplied with your phone
Using an external memory card in your phone which can be removed and placed in a memory card reader (some computers have these built in, or you can buy an external USB reader)
Data transfer via Bluetooth, Infrared or Wifi

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Choosing a mobile phone

katie — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 10:53:23 +0000

Before buying a phone, consider what you are going to use it for. Someone who needs to take lots of photographs with it will need a different phone from someone who only wants to send text messages. With this in mind, we recommend that you spend some time looking at the features available on different phones, so that you can select one that meets your needs. You can use a website like Mobiledia (http://www.mobiledia.com/phones/search/) to help you research and compare the features of different mobile phones before you choose one to buy. Below are some issues to consider when choosing a phone for individual or organisational use.

Payment plans

Prepaid

Often called 'pay-as-you-go', this allows you to purchase credit to use on a mobile phone network as and when you need it. You can make calls, send SMS and MMS and use the internet until you run out of credit; you buy more credit when you need to.

Advantages: No bills and no contracts! It is much easier to control your spending this way, and you have the freedom to swap to another mobile phone provider if you wish. If security is a concern, it's possible to obtain and use a prepaid mobile phone without establishing a link between your identity and the phone.
Disadvantages: Calls, texts and internet use are often more expensive than on a contract. You also have to buy the telephone handset yourself.

Contract

This usually involves undergoing a credit check, signing paperwork and being billed monthly for your mobile phone usage.

Advantages: Cheaper calls and texts and greater freedom to use your mobile phone network in other countries (called 'roaming'). A monthly allowance of calling minutes, texts and internet time is often included in your plan. In most cases you pay off the cost of the handset over the period of your contract, and do not have to pay for it upfront.
Disadvantages: It is difficult to keep track of your spending and you may end up with large bills at the end of the month. You are also locked into a contract, for which you must continue to pay for a fixed period of time (at least twelve months in most cases).

Locked or un-locked phones

If you need to be able to use multiple SIM cards in your phone for security reasons, you will need a phone which is unlocked, which means you are free to use it with any service provider, not just the one you bought it from. Phones which are bought as part of a contract with a mobile service provider are often locked. If you have a locked phone you can get it unlocked. You will need to contact the network provider for the unlock code.

Battery life

Phones with advanced features such as video recorders may have a limited battery life. If you are likely to be away from a power supply for long periods of time, you should investigate the battery life of the phone.

Bands

The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) uses four different frequencies for mobile phones, each in a different region of the world. A dual-band phone will work on two of the three frequencies which are used in Europe, Asia and most other places except the United States. A tri-band phone will operate on three of these frequencies, and a quad-band on all four frequencies. If you intend to travel widely with your phone, it's advisable to use a tri-band or quad-band phone. See the section below on Travelling with your mobile.

Data Speeds

If you want to use the internet on your mobile phone you will need to understand data speeds. The current standard for mobile internet is 3G, which is often compared to the average broadband speeds you get for your computer, but in reality is usually a bit slower. It's fine for email and web-browsing and even watching video online. GPRS or 2G are the older speeds and are generally equivalent to dial-up internet speed, which is fine for email and light web-browsing. If you want to use the internet on your phone, you must first find out if your phone is internet capable and at what speed, and then find out if your mobile network offers internet access (usually at an extra price), and at what speed.

Storage capacity

Taking pictures using your mobile phone can use up your phone's memory so if this is a priority for you, it's advisable to consider either buying a mobile phone with a large memory or one that can take an external memory card (which is also helpful when it comes to transferring files to your computer).

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Creating and sharing content using mobile phones

katie — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 10:25:31 +0000

There are now many ways to create and share multimedia (videos, pictures and text) content from your mobile phone, either between phones or via the internet, and reach a broad audience.

Depending on the model of your phone, you can:

Take photos or record videos to document events or provide evidence for advocacy work
Record short interviews
Share images with others via MMS
Send text messages via SMS
Send updates via the internet to micro-blogging sites, such as Twitter
Upload content via the internet onto content-sharing sites, such as YouTube and Flickr, or onto Wordpress blogs

With mobile internet costs falling in some countries, mobile phones are increasingly being used to access the internet while on the move. Some mobile phone providers offer fixed monthly packages for internet use while others sell 'bundles' of mobile data.With a phone that has a wireless internet connection it is also possible to access the internet on your phone through free wireless 'hotspots'. NGOs can take advantage of this by creating specially adapted mobile versions of their websites. There are online services such as Wapple.net and MobiSiteGalore which can help you create mobile-friendly websites. To read a selection of case studies, showcasing a variety of innovative ways that mobile phones have been used by individuals and organisations, visit the Mobiles in-a-box website at http://mobiles.tacticaltech.org/taxonomy/term/4

Challenges

Updating a blog or website with content sent directly from your mobile phone often requires that you pay to sign up with a service outside your country; this means you may be charged the cost of an international message every time you use the service. You may need to connect your mobile phone to a computer to be able to download photos and videos and share them through the internet. The quality of video captured on most mobile phones remains low. Unless you or your organisation are prepared to invest heavily in a high-end mobile phone, the uses of video made on mobile phones may be quite limited. Sending MMS messages (i.e. image or video files from your mobile phone to another mobile phone or to a website) is still extremely expensive in most countries and it doesn't always work.

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SIM card

The Mobile Phone

katie — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 10:15:43 +0000

Introduction Mobile phones provide individuals and organisations with access to a range of voice and data services. This chapter will show you how to make the best use of your mobile phone.

After reading this chapter, you should know:

What features to look for when purchasing a mobile phone
How to connect your mobile phone to your computer
How to make the most of your mobile phone's camera, video and sound recorder
What security issues you should be considering when using your mobile phone

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mobile phone

Connecting

katie — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:41:16 +0000

If you don't have your own computer the easiest way to access the internet is to visit an internet café which provides computers connected to the internet for customers to use. If you do have your own computer, and you plan to use the internet a lot and don't want to sit for hours a day in an internet café, you can set up your own internet connection. To do this, you will need: - To open an account with an Internet Service Provider (ISP) - Some extra equipment to help your computer make the connection. This may include: a modem (sometimes these are built into a computer and sometimes they are externally connected), a phone line or a wireless router - Software, such as an internet browser and email program (see later sections on email and browsing) What you can do with your connection to the internet depends largely on how much bandwidth your internet connection gives you. Internet connections are often delivered in the following ways:

Via wires:

Dial-up: your computer dials a telephone number using an internal modem to connect. This is slow and limits you to email and light web-browsing.
Broadband or DSL and Cable: your computer will use an external modem (often provided by your Internet Service Provider) to connect to the internet via your phone line (it doesn't dial) or via the cable for your television. This provides medium-to-high speed and will allow you to do email and heavier web-browsing, and watch video.
Super-fast or Fibre Optic: also done using an external modem, the difference here is that you are connecting to a special wire provided by your ISP. This is fast and will allow you to do just about anything on the internet, but current availability is limited to developed countries.

Wirelessly:

Satellite: often used in areas with no existing telephone or television cable infrastructure. A satellite dish is positioned on the outside of a building; it connects to a modem inside the building which provides an internet connection. The speed of the connection will depend on a number of factors. This is an expensive way of getting an internet connection.
Wifi: many commercial establishments, including cafes and hotels offer wifi (wireless) connectivity for their customers. Your computer will need its own wifi reciever (now built into most laptops). These connections often operate at medium-to-high speeds.
Mobile phones: also called 'Tethering.' Your computer can use your mobile phone as an internet modem if your mobile network provides this service. This is often slow, though some locations may offer higher speeds. Mobile phone network providers also sell and provide USB peripheral devices called dongles, which will allow your computer to connect to the network's internet signal.

If you have a faster connection, you are able to do much more. If your connection is slower you can speed it up by setting your web-browser to read text only and by not downloading email attachments. These options can be adjusted in the settings of your browser and email programs.

Tip- If your internet connection has recently slowed down, it is worth investigating. Sluggishness can be caused by anything from a virus to a bad configuration on your hardware. Some useful information about troubleshooting for slow internet connections can be found here: http://compnetworking.about.com/od/speedtests/tp/slow-network-connection...

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