Stanford Researchers: It Is Trivially Easy to Match Metadata to Real People

Via The Atlantic:
Mayer and Mutchler are running an experiment which works with volunteers who agree to use an Android app, MetaPhone, that allows the researchers access to their metadata. Now, using that data, Mayer and Mutchler say that it was hardly any trouble at all to figure out who the phone numbers belonged to, and they did it in just a few hours.
Click the link to see more: Stanford Researchers: It Is Trivially Easy to Match Metadata to Real People - Rebecca J. Rosen - The Atlantic
Points:
  • “What about if an organization were willing to put in some manpower?…In under an hour, we were able to associate an individual or a business with 60 of the 100 numbers. When we added in our three initial sources, we were up to 73.”
  • “How about if money were no object? We don’t have the budget or credentials to access a premium data aggregator, so we ran our 100 numbers with Intelius, a cheap consumer-oriented service. 74 matched.1 Between Intelius, Google search, and our three initial sources, we associated a name with 91 of the 100 numbers.”
Ponder:
  • A theologian would notice the level of surveillance might make us think we can achieve omniscience, one of God’s attributes. The Bible is replete with references like: “Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:24 ESV).
  • Is that in fact a goal of increased surveillance? The speculation ranges from scholarly research (note the date of the linked article) to the popular media.