Verizon hands over text logs to US Police
Every text you write on your handset is archived and ready to be handed over merrily by your mobile operator.
We’ve known this, right?
Not all operators keep logs. But most of them do. And when they get official looking court requests from prosecutors, they’re liable — nay, required — to play along:
Link: Police Blotter: Verizon forced to turn over text messages | Tech News on ZDNet
Verizon complied. It turned over three sets of documents: information about the account holder linked to that phone number, a list of the complete contents of the text messages sent or received by cellular telephone number (301) 325-XXXX between June 6 and October 31, 2007, and a log of whom Jackson sent messages to from her Verizon e-mail address. Note that Verizon did not keep copies of the actual contents of her e-mail messages.
What’s my issue?
Well, nothing really. I’ve just got a pained look on my face.
Is nothing private? 
At least the entire Verizon text logs aren’t archived and searchable immediately in Google. Yet.
Under EU directives all MNO’s have to store all call and SMS info for a loooong time. There are some pretty huge beige boxes about the place filling up, given the Bn or so SMS per day in the UK alone.
Or something like that.
Counter-terrorisim and organised crime-fighting is onoe application. However, when your ex-girlfriend is after half your assets because she claims you were together long enough to be in a de facto relationship, you may well thank the lord that your/her MNO can prove that the first flirty SMS exchange happened 6 months later than she claims
(This is a real-world actual scenario that a close friend is in the middle of right now. He even submitted our wedding piccys showing him attending with his previous squeeze as evidence of his romantic chronology)
Posted by Mike on December 7th, 2007 at 2:14 pm.