People should check their phone’s security

Dear Editor, I try to limit analyses of companies, but our mobile phone suppliers have long been taking us for a ride where the security of our phones are concerned. This obviously is a result of our own lax attitude in this area. The spate of recent robberies aside, I was flabbergasted at the security of mobile phones currently available. It turns out that a significant majority of these phones run on the android operating system. Googling, or a Bing search of security for phones on the internet reveals the scale of the problem. Apparently, all models of phones irrespective of perceived value, once they are running on the android operating system, are so easily hackable as to allow all kinds of data collection from these devices. Your child or your suspicious and predatory companion, with a credit card, can easily obtain spy software to capture your data and follow your movements. Other than your mobile device communications being the subject for international spying agencies, including in China, some of whose products download your data to Chinese computers every seventy-two hours (https://www.nytimes.com/ 2016/11/16/us/politics/china-phonessoftware-security.html), you may have some unsuspecting company, up close and personal. Before purchasing your next phone, weigh your needs and check your phone’s security. Yours faithfully, Craig Sylvester