Centre for Policy Research on Science and Technology Prepaid mobile phones: the anonymity question

Centre for Policy ResearchCentre for Policy Researchon Science and Technologyon Science and Technology

Prepaid mobile phones:the anonymity question


part onedemand articulation


Why you need a prepay cell phone …

• Perfect for the credit challenged, since monthly billed plans require credit approval.

• No monthly service fees.• No security deposits.• No contract to sign.• Better cost control.• No need to disclose your real identity. In most cases, you can activate

a pre-paid phone plan under the name Mickey Mouse if you wish. Rumour has it that this is a big hit with Mafiosi trying to remain anonymous!

-Sales pitch from ‘PrepaidCellPhoneGuide.com’


Prepaid is significant


Worldwide 50% of all mobile phone customersnow use prepaid, generating over 1/4 of the total revenues in the global market.

From 2005 and beyond, at least 3/4 of the totalmobile base will consist of prepaid users.

22% of Canada’s mobile phone market is prepaid (Q2 2004).

46% of Fido customers25% of Bell Mobility customers18% of both Rogers and TELUS customers


Prepaid in OECD (2001)

0 20 40 60 80 100

KoreaFinlandJapan

United StatesCanada

AustraliaDenmark

IcelandOECD

SwitzerlandNorway

LuxembourgCzech Republic

PolandFrance

SwedenAustria

GermanyBelgium

EUTurkeyGreece

SpainNetherlands

New ZealandUnitedIrelandSlovak

HungaryItaly

PortugalMexico

% of total mobilesubscriptions


Canada Prepaid Penetration (Baskerville, 2003)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Percentage of Population

Prepaid penetrationTotal mobile penetration


Prepaid Growth Forecast (2002-2010)

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800

India

China

Russia

Philippines

Poland

Indonesia

Brazil

Egypt

USA

Morocco

Growth (%)


There is demand for regulation


“Pre-paid/pay-as-you-go cellphones, Internet access cards, Internet cafés and Internet facilities at public libraries allpose an obstacle to law enforcement agencies because the identity of the service user is easy to conceal from law enforcement.

In keeping with the principle that no intercept safe havensbe created, regulatory obligations should be established in Canada requiring the identification of users of prepaidcommunications services and the maintenance of an accuratesubscriber database by the service provider.”

Lawful Access Submission from Canadian Law Enforcement (2003)


“… the lack of regulation of anonymous prepaid telephone cardsclashes with the need for law enforcement agencies to have accessto telecommunications.”

1995 European Council Resolution on lawful interception

“ ‘Removing the anonymous cards will be good for the fight against criminals,’ said Police President Jiri Kolar, adding that theanonymity of callers often frustrated their investigations.”

Prague Post, 24 Feb 2005

“… the Polish Ministry of Infrastructure introduced a new obligationfor mandatory identification of buyers of pre-paid GSM-cards. Theproposal is brought as an anti-terrorism measure.”

European Digital Rights, EDRI-gram (Dec. 2004)


The “community [now] has confidence that crime is not beingfacilitated through anonymous … SIMs. Especially at risk arecrimes like stalking, harassment, threats to interfere with witnesses.Also that that law enforcement has confidence in a database for emergency calls.”

Executive from Australia telecom industry (anonymous)


There is opposition to regulation


“… it is by no means intuitively obvious to a reasonable memberof the general public that a fixed address must be provided in orderto receive mobile phone service.

Resistance … therefore, is understandable, especially in light of theheightened awareness of privacy rights and concerns over the abilityof organizations to protect personal data in the information age.”

(Microcell Telecommunications Inc., 2001)


“Once they’ve got records on all the cards in use, the securityprocedures will be simple. If they’ve caught an Al Qaeda terroristand discovered he’s using a Swiss SIM, they can look up the record of his address, then go and arrest him. No, we’ll try that again. When they notice a suspicious pattern of usage, with calls being made from suspicious locations like Islamabad, Baghdad and Finsbury Park, they can look up the address he filled in and go and arrest him. No, we’re not sure that works either…”

John Lettice, writing in The Register (2003)


A identity requirement for prepaid “raises the spectre of convenience store clerks demanding and recording - and then transmitting -peoples sensitive personal information, such as driver’s license and credit card numbers, as a condition of purchasing pre-paid phones or phone cards. This would be a gross invasion of privacy.”

Federal Privacy Commisioner’s Response to Lawful Access Proposals in 2002


part twoproblem formulation


What is anonymity?


“Anonymity has to do with the non-coordination or non-coordinatibility of the traits of a person in and through social ‘orders’, that is, in and through social relations and locations.”

K. Wallace (1999). ‘Anonymity,’ Ethics and Information Technology


Identity traits


1. Legal name2. Locatability3. Traceable pseudonyms4. Untraceable pseudonyms5. Patterned behaviour6. Social or physical attributes7. Symbols of eligibility/non-eligibility

(G. Marx, 2001)


1. Legal name XX2. Locatability Vancouver3. Traceable pseudonyms XX4. Untraceable pseudonyms +4479181014225. Patterned behaviour daily call to London6. Social/physical attributes XX7. Eligibility/non-eligibility HSBC telephone banking


part threealternatives


Normative basis for policy


“An organization may collect, use or disclose personal information only for purposes that a reasonable person would consider are appropriate in the circumstances.”

(Canada PIPED Act, Section 5.3)


Balanced policy options

• Call detail recording (CDR)• Data retention• Lawful access• Opt-in for prepaid customers• Industry self regulation


Beyond prepaid?

• Regulation of technologies that “support” illegal activities:– Communications (WiFi cards, Internet appliances)– P2P filesharing applications– Digital recording devices (e.g., iPods, cameras)

• Proposed legislation in the USA• When is registration legitimate?


Documents

Centre for Policy Research on Science and Technology Prepaid mobile phones: the anonymity question