Americans have fallen in love with their cellphones. A survey by Harris Interactive shows that while 58 per cent of people have a landline phone, 74 per cent of people own a cell. The survey questioned 1,125 people via Harris’ Web site. The survey also indicates a growing trend towards VoIP phone usage. While only five per cent of survey respondents use VoIP phones now, that figure is expected to grow. Does this mean more users are going to be giving up their traditional landlines? Not exactly. While nine per cent of respondents now rely on their cell phone exclusively, 39 per cent of respondents replied that they would never give up their landlines.
Swiss government considering eavesdropping on VoIP calls
Switzerland is known as the land of chocolate and clocks. Soon though, it could also be known as the land where government openly listens in on its citizens’ IP phone calls. Heise Security reports that the Swiss government is “considering” using spyware called Superintendent Trojan to listen in on VoIP calls. The software, which Swiss firm ERA IT Solutions would supply only to government agencies, could allow the government to listen to not only VoIP calls but communication through other technologies like webcams. While online surveillance is, as in many other democratic countries, authorized only via court order, the proposed Trojan software may not even be legal to use in Switzerland, at least not yet.
10-megapixel cell phone debuts in Asia
A 10-megapixel cell phone from Samsung has gone on sale in Asia. As well as the huge pixel count, the SCH-B600 boasts 3x optical zoom, satellite DMB TV, Bluetooth, PictBridge printing and something called a True Color LCD, which can reproduce “virtually any color found in nature” according to Samsung’s BSD spokesman. The price? US$900.
Survey: E-crime causing more fear than mugging
People fear e-crime more than mugging or car theft, according to a new report from Get Safe Online (GSO). According to the organization, 24 per cent of people are deterred from Internet banking because of e-crime fears, and 18 per cent from online shopping. However people do appear to be doing something about it, with the survey claiming that 72 per cent of people need more Internet security information, down from 78 per cent last year. GSO depends upon sponsors to spread its e-crime awareness message and the U.K. government, via SOCA, puts in
