Mobile data privacy is terra incognita to users and developers

President Obama's move Thursday to establish a so-called Privacy Bill of Rights for the Internet can be seen as the consolidation of decade-long efforts by disparate groups to improve privacy protections via countless browser add-ons, settings, and privacy policies. But while it's possible to guard privacy on the desktop, the rapidly growing mobile space is still the Wild West, with an almost endless landscape of privacy pitfalls that challenge even the most vigilant consumer.

Today's mobile phones collect an enormous amount of personal data -- from the user's email address to his or her location, contact list, calendar and even photos -- and tether it to a single unique device ID number. One location-based photo-sharing app reportedly activated users' microphones to narrow down their location beyond what GPS data could provide. There is as yet very little to protect the valuable data on these most personal of devices. Read more...