Why Mobile Phone Conversations Are Never Private Essay

Why Mobile Phone Conversations Are Never Private - Essay Example The privacy of mobile phones for instance, has been a predominant topic in the field of feminist media studies (Baker, 2006, p.1). Through the use of mobile phones, many people have been subjected to unwarranted infringement of personal privacy depending on the gender of the individual and this has led to various studies aimed at investigating how different genders use mobile phones and how the use of these devices has contributed to politically-motivated social history (Hijazi-Omari & Ribak, 2008, p.154). This paper seeks to explore the relationship between the use of mobile phones by teenage girls and the resulting privacy issues. The paper will further focus on the contemporary media practices and how they have influenced different people’s lives depending on their genders. Moreover, the paper will examine the various elements of insecurity applicable in the use of mobile phones and how these pronounce the privacy complexities (Stuart, 2007, p.1). Eavesdroppers, hackers and thieves Despite the conventional privacy belief associated with the use of mobile phones, their use has actually exposed many people to the traps of unintended and self privacy infringing illegal use (Stuart, 2007, p.2). Today, the use of mobile phones has increased to a level that it does not matter where you are or what you are doing but whether your hands are free to hold the handset to your ears for conversation as long as the other person is ready to communicate. The freedom brought by the use of mobile phones has highly influenced the social structures of various communities and even cultures that never used to communicate physically can now access and communicate to the other party devoid of the cultural barriers (McRobbie, 2007, p.720). In this regard, feminist populations in communities that do not allow women to freely mingle with men have been able to freely communicate with their male counterparts without the culturally defined blockages. However, it is imperative to no te that the use of mobile phones has also worked to fuel various illegal activities since other people are able to intercept the communication between the users of mobile phones making the communication media vulnerable (Baker, 2006, p.1). Given the frequency of use and the location of the users of mobile phones, eavesdroppers, hackers and thieves have found it easy to access the mobile phone devices and this enables them to plan and execute their illegal acts without the consent of the mobile phone users (Stuart, 2007, p.1). In many occasions people share their experiences and even personal information with the other users of mobile phones without considering their location and whether there are people around them who could use such information for other purposes. Take for example the use of mobile phones in a cyber cafe or even in a foods store. In these places, different people come for different purposes and some people can access other electronic equipments like lap tops and ot her computer devices (Krotz, 2011, p.2). When an individual either in a line waiting to be served or already enjoying the services of the facility begins to communicate with another person sharing individual experiences and personal information, another person in the same place could easily record the personal information and even schedules and this will aid their planning and execution of illegal acts (Earle, 2010, p.1). Eavesdroppers, hackers and thieves have made the use of mobile phones less private as should be according to the conventional beliefs (Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, 2010, p.2). In this regard, hackers have shown that they don’t actually need the physical mobile devise to track and utilize personal information of the owner of the mobile phon