Study finds people will snoop in “found” smartphones
Posted March 13, 2012 5:28 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
If you lost your smartphone, how much of your personal or business information is at risk?
One company conducted an experiment in which phones were intentionally lost and then tracked to see how and when they were accessed.
The smartphones were loaded up with false personal information, pictures, business files, banking apps and even a fake remote administration app.
“We lost 50 devices in five different cities in the United States and Canada and waiting to see what would happen.” said Kevin Haley with Symantec, the company behind the experiment.
Haley said 96 per cent of the phones were accessed, with personal or business information viewed.
“A lot of people – I don’t think think – don’t realize how much of their lives have ended up on their phones. They’re not aware that they need to take steps to protect themselves,” he explained.
Haley suggested that people begin by adding a password to their phone.
Half of the people who located the phones attempted to return them to their owners.
