AT&T seems like the worst offender with regards to storing tracking information:
The biggest difference in retention surrounds so-called
cell-site data. That is information detailing a phone’s
movement history via its connections to mobile phone towers
while its traveling.
Verizon keeps that data on a one-year rolling basis;
T-Mobile for “a year or more;” Sprint up to two years, and
AT&T indefinitely, from July 2008.
If asked, RMS might well point out that using other peoples' cell phones for his own calls not only makes him harder to track, but also adds just a little bit of noise to Big Brother's tracking data on them. (Not that I've asked him, but every so often, he tries to arrange swaps of Boston subway/bus pass cards ("Charlie Cards") around MIT for that exact reason --- to try to scramble tracking data.)
This blog post is just silly, and in my own opinion nothing more than failed linkbait. In no way, shape, or form is this hypocritical. By borrowing a phone, RMS is not making the person he is borrowing it from more trackable. They already made up their minds to own a phone, thus being trackable. Neither is he making it easier to listen in on them (he actually is making it harder). Finally in no way, shape, or form is he making himself more trackable by doing this.
The only way a could consider this hypocritical is if he asked to borrow a phone from somebody who at all times turned their phone of, and only briefly turned it on to make calls. But I'm rather sure that if he asked to borrow a phone from somebody, and their reply was, "sorry, I would rather not turn it on because I don't want to be tracked", he would respect that.
Not quite sure about this comparison. AFAIK Ghandi is famous for living by example. I have never heard or read about RMS saying anything about living by his example. I have however, heard him talk about that he lives by his own principles because they matter to him. And he tells you explicitly what he considers you to be, if you have other opinions than him.
Last time I went to one of his lectures he clearly stated that you should do you best to avoid using proprietary software _for your own good_, while he said that creators of proprietary software were evil.
I have a hard time seeing this as hypocritical, unless he actually goes on record stating that «you should not own a mobile phone, and you should never ask to borrow a mobile phone when needed».
This is only hypocritical if when Stallman says "phone", he always means "cell phone". Just to be a devil's advocate, he could be talking about a landline which generally doesn't track movement, doesn't run software, and doesn't get turned into a listening device.
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[ 3.4 ms ] story [ 36.8 ms ] threadIt's along the lines of being against killing animals for food, but eating a burger because your friend bought the meat and grilled it for you.
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/09/cellular-customer-d...
AT&T seems like the worst offender with regards to storing tracking information:
The biggest difference in retention surrounds so-called cell-site data. That is information detailing a phone’s movement history via its connections to mobile phone towers while its traveling.
Verizon keeps that data on a one-year rolling basis; T-Mobile for “a year or more;” Sprint up to two years, and AT&T indefinitely, from July 2008.
The only way a could consider this hypocritical is if he asked to borrow a phone from somebody who at all times turned their phone of, and only briefly turned it on to make calls. But I'm rather sure that if he asked to borrow a phone from somebody, and their reply was, "sorry, I would rather not turn it on because I don't want to be tracked", he would respect that.
That's like Ghandi asking a random passerby to slap someone for him.
Last time I went to one of his lectures he clearly stated that you should do you best to avoid using proprietary software _for your own good_, while he said that creators of proprietary software were evil.
I have a hard time seeing this as hypocritical, unless he actually goes on record stating that «you should not own a mobile phone, and you should never ask to borrow a mobile phone when needed».