Your Phone's Data Could Come Back to Haunt You

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I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the following public service announcement is critical, even we'd all rather not hear it. So here goes: Smartphones have become a huge privacy and security risk. We all know about the risks posed by the vulnerable data on PCs and laptops. But as our phones get smarter, and carry more personal data, they pose potentially even greater threats. Given their small size and portability, phones are constantly being lost, stolen, or otherwise disposed of. And the info they hold is a goldmine for anyone with nefarious intentions. PCWorld Staff Editor Megan Geuss, whose intentions are anything but nefarious, understands the risks involved. In her investigative article "Your Old Smartphone's Data Can Come Back to Haunt You," she acquired a clutch of old smartphones to see what kind of information she could discover. She struck paydirt on many of the phones, and even tracked down one phone's previous owner (it had been stolen) and returned it to her. 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