This content was created by Robert Siciliano. This content was uploaded by Robert Siciliano. This is a YouTube video titled "Law Enforcement Seeks Greater Access To Text Messages @McAfeeConsumer" (created 2013-01-05). The excerpt is an English discussion among multiple hosts (labeled SPEAKER A, SPEAKER B, SPEAKER D) with guest Kristen Anderson about government and police access to and retention of text messages. They cover current carrier retention practices, a proposal to require carriers to keep texts for two years, privacy and cost implications (carriers likely passing costs to consumers), and that police often obtain records without warrants. Robert Siciliano is referenced as a Boston-based McAfee online security expert but does not speak in this excerpt.
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Especially because it can be retweeted.
Yes.
With your name on it.
But texting ostensibly is just going to the person you're texting, hopefully. But then other people might see it, like law enforcement.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Which is what we're going to talk about.
Yeah.
It's really creepy. Because of course, we've become addicted to texting and tweeting.
And here I am holding my phone while you're doing this.
Exactly. And this week, we're marking the 20th anniversary of the first text message. Remember what it said?
Merry Christmas.
Yeah.
Remember that from yesterday.
But we have a warning.
Yeah.
Your phone bill may actually go up all because of Government changes to what cell phone companies need to do with your text messages.
Kristen Anderson, who is the world's foremost techno person and texter, what's this all about?
You know, I think it's gonna be my New Year's resolution this year to text less and call more, you know, because it's faster anyway to talk to someone on the phone, you know. So might as well. I'm gonna try that out though. You guys, this is really interesting. Do you think that people can see your texts? Like, do you ever think of law enforcement being able to go through your texts?
I never think about that at all.
Never occurs to me when I'm texting someone.
Well, they They can, they can, and they can keep them for a number of days, a limited amount of time. But what if they could keep them around for 2 years just in case they want to check up on you and see what's going on in there? It's a very controversial thing, and the whole kicker here is that it could cost you more on your bill. An estimated 6 billion texts are sent in the U.S. every single day. How long the actual message is stored depends on the carrier. According to a report in Wired magazine, AT&T and T-Mobile discarded messages immediately. Verizon keeps them for 5 days. Sprint, 12. That could all change though if local and state police have their way. They want Congress to pass a law requiring cell phone companies to keep text info for 2 years.
Consumers probably are unaware that their text messages are even sought after by government officials, uh, never mind for 2 years.
Robert Siciliano is a Boston-based online security expert for McAfee. He says privacy is one issue, The cost, another.
Companies like AT&T and Verizon would have to hold our data in their system for up to 2 years. And their employees would also have access to that information as well. This is government regulating how they store data, and it's going to cost them money, and more than likely they're going to pass that cost on to the consumer.
And this is important. Right now, police do not need a warrant to access your cell phone records. In most cases, the carriers simply hand the information over. At this point, you guys, it's up to Congress to decide exactly how much accessibility that police will have to our text messages. But interesting to hear that this situation is in the works. And you know, more people text today than people, you know, Facebook, talk, tweet. Texting is like the it thing. My dad even texts, and he swore he would never text. And this year he started texting, guys.
Ruth too. Um, what right do they have to keep our text messages? It's like saying we have a right to keep all your mail. Do not throw your mail away.
Yes, the same thing.
Send it to the government, we're gonna file it under your name. Well, what right do they have? Where do they get this right? We don't know, do we?
That's what makes it controversial. Yeah, exactly. We don't know. And it's crazy to know that they don't even need a warrant to go through our phone records. So it is fair game. And once you put it out there, it's out there. It's a little bit scary, but I mean, if you're not texting anything, you know—
