Carriers implementing tracking of rooted Android phones?

[poofyhairguy]

It sucks but it's my strict interpretation of what is happening with carriers. And bitching about is will have almost no chance of doing anything because 99.999% of people do not care and the ones who do care have no power to change anything.

That is why I jailbreak/root all of my friends' phones and show them how to tether. That is why I was so happy when this article was on the CNN homepage for two days:

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/mobile/03/18/ipad2.3g.skip.wired/index.html?iref=allsearch

In the end, the only way us consumers can win is if enough of us can realize that the cell providers are wanting to double-dip on data and public/political pressure forces them to back down!

 

[akugami]

What the carriers need to realize (which they will after a lawsuit) is TOUGH SHIT. It's 100% legal to root your phone and it's 100% illegal for them to do anything about it.

You're absolutely right. Except that it's their network and they have the right to terminate your internet service because you are in breach of the contract. I know a lot was made about AT&T informing Apple iPhone users that they were violating the terms of their contract by jailbreaking and using MyWi to get "free" tethering. I know there were a lot of biased folks who were smearing Apple for that and laughing at Apple users but I always felt the other shoe was going to drop and both Verizon and At&T would be going after all smart phone users. The other shoe has dropped.

I've said this before but all of this is because we in the USA have become accustomed to contracts and the "free" or reduced up front cost for a phone in exchange for a term contract. This has allowed wireless carriers to tack on extras and fatten their pockets to a huge degree because any time they sign up a customer it's almost always for 2 years. Contrast this with other areas that don't have long term contracts and they have to work so much harder to earn your money. Even those customers who bring their own phones or are on a monthly plan are paying the subsidized cost just like those on term contracts.

 

[cronos]

I've said this before but all of this is because we in the USA have become accustomed to contracts and the "free" or reduced up front cost for a phone in exchange for a term contract. This has allowed wireless carriers to tack on extras and fatten their pockets to a huge degree because any time they sign up a customer it's almost always for 2 years. Contrast this with other areas that don't have long term contracts and they have to work so much harder to earn your money. Even those customers who bring their own phones or are on a monthly plan are paying the subsidized cost just like those on term contracts.

I completely agree with you.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

It's stealing because the user signed a contract agreeing to such terms. Nobody likes the way US carriers handle tethering, but it is definitely stealing.

Wait what? I'm not on contract. I paid cash for my phone and am not on a contract plan.
UNLIMITED data is unlimited. The cell phone business is quickly becoming the scam artist business.
Why advertise these great phones that can do all of these amazing things, then tell people you can't actually use it.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

What the carriers need to realize (which they will after a lawsuit) is TOUGH SHIT. It's 100% legal to root your phone and it's 100% illegal for them to do anything about it.

they're not cracking down on rooting. they're cracking down on tethering. just because tethering is accomplished via rooting doesnt mean you can't root. verizon doesn't care that you root and install illegal apps. they care once it starts involving their network.

 

[zerocool84]

they're not cracking down on rooting. they're cracking down on tethering. just because tethering is accomplished via rooting doesnt mean you can't root. verizon doesn't care that you root and install illegal apps. they care once it starts involving their network.

This

It's not hard to understand. It's part of the contract you sign. You cannot tether without buying a tethering plan from them. Sure data is data but it's against their TOS.

 

[JD50]

This

It's not hard to understand. It's part of the contract you sign. You cannot tether without buying a tethering plan from them. Sure data is data but it's against their TOS.

What contract? I don't ever remember signing anything that said that I can't tether.

 

[abaez]

Don't play dumb. You can be sure that the regular contract and/or TOS for your service includes clauses about other "services", which probably include Tethering.

 

[zerocool84]

What contract? I don't ever remember signing anything that said that I can't tether.

What contract??? Oh I didn't know AT&T or Verizon didn't make you sign contracts any more when you initially sign up for service. Must be a new thing.

 

[shortylickens]

In November, when my contract is up:

1. I'm gonna get a Virgin Mobile Android phone with the 25 dollar unlimited data plan.
2. Root my Droid.
3. Install Cyanogen.
4. Tether the two.
5. Profit.

Since its mobile browsing they will never know I tethered unless I use Dolphin. And with the screen off all the time the VM phone shouldnt die too fast. Should last longer than my Droid.

 

[Bateluer]

Since its mobile browsing they will never know I tethered unless I use Dolphin. And with the screen off all the time the VM phone shouldnt die too fast. Should last longer than my Droid.

Have fun carrying two phones.

But why would they know you were tethered if you used Dolphin specifically?

 

[shortylickens]

Have fun carrying two phones.

But why would they know you were tethered if you used Dolphin specifically?

IF I used the desktop spoof in Dolphin it would look like I was using a regular computer and not a cell phone. They would know I was tethering but not know why or how.
The main reason to use a mobile browser with a desktop spoof is to force websites to show you their regular content. As an example, youtube refuses to play a lot of videos if they detect you are using a mobile browser, regardless of whether you have the horse power for it or not.

 

[Fire&Blood]

There are plenty of people on AT&T's grandfathered unlimited plans. AT&T has begun cracking down on tethering, they send text messages to sign up for tethering or they simply add tethering to your service plans and kill your unlimited data plan in the process! They wouldn't legally risk adding tethering charge to users who simply use up a lot of data without actually tethering, so they have ways of identifying tethered data.

Tethering charges amount to $480 per 24 month contract on AT&T and Verizon, $720 on Sprint.

It's ridiculous that the tethering charge on AT&T only includes 2 additional GB and you face additional charges for going over.

Just because shit is in the contract doesn't mean people should be happy about it as there is no way around this.

 

[speedy2]

I'm so glad I don't have a smart phone. I would like one. But, I'm already aware of all the crap mentioned in this thread without even owning one. There's no way I'm gonna pay the upfront cost of the phone. And then the service. And then be limited in such ways. I wish people weren't so addicted to the dang things, get rid of them, and give these companies a wake up call. Sadly, this will never happen. People will gripe, but they'll still sign those 2 year contracts.

Another funny thing is even people who can barely afford these expensive phones and services buy them. Some guy came in our store(jewelry/watches). Looking for a gift for his wife/fiance(can't remember.) Anyway, he searched around and haggled a bit on a $200 Ladies Citizen Eco Drive. All the while he has a smart phone, easily $200-$300, Looked like an Iphone to me, on his hip. Bet he didn't argue about the price of that.

 

[sswingle]

All these posts and no one mentions PdaNet? I tether all the time and have NEVER rooted.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Don't be evil.

Spoiler

Unless there's money in it.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Don't be evil.

Spoiler

Unless there's money in it.

It's not a Google thing.

VZW, AT&T, others are all evil in their own way.

 

[ussfletcher]

It's not a Google thing.

VZW, AT&T, others are all evil in their own way.

Google is also evil in it's own way. They are very, very good at advertising, often in ways not realized by consumers.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Google is also evil in it's own way. They are very, very good at advertising, often in ways not realized by consumers.

I'm not disputing that, but this thread is about carriers tracking rooted/unlicensed tethered phones which is not Google being "evil." Sure Google does a lot of things that some people view as evil, but this is not one of them.

 

[alent1234]

I'm so glad I don't have a smart phone. I would like one. But, I'm already aware of all the crap mentioned in this thread without even owning one. There's no way I'm gonna pay the upfront cost of the phone. And then the service. And then be limited in such ways. I wish people weren't so addicted to the dang things, get rid of them, and give these companies a wake up call. Sadly, this will never happen. People will gripe, but they'll still sign those 2 year contracts.

Another funny thing is even people who can barely afford these expensive phones and services buy them. Some guy came in our store(jewelry/watches). Looking for a gift for his wife/fiance(can't remember.) Anyway, he searched around and haggled a bit on a $200 Ladies Citizen Eco Drive. All the while he has a smart phone, easily $200-$300, Looked like an Iphone to me, on his hip. Bet he didn't argue about the price of that.

my $20 HTC Inspire was cheaper than a lot of the dumb phones i see

 

[alent1234]

There are plenty of people on AT&T's grandfathered unlimited plans. AT&T has begun cracking down on tethering, they send text messages to sign up for tethering or they simply add tethering to your service plans and kill your unlimited data plan in the process! They wouldn't legally risk adding tethering charge to users who simply use up a lot of data without actually tethering, so they have ways of identifying tethered data.

Tethering charges amount to $480 per 24 month contract on AT&T and Verizon, $720 on Sprint.

It's ridiculous that the tethering charge on AT&T only includes 2 additional GB and you face additional charges for going over.

Just because shit is in the contract doesn't mean people should be happy about it as there is no way around this.

after the last 15 years or so i'm sure the carriers want to open their networks to tethering so that a small percentage of people will tie up the spectrum by running p2p clients 24x7

 

[s44]

Three pages in and no one has called out the obvious FUD?

 

[poofyhairguy]

after the last 15 years or so i'm sure the carriers want to open their networks to tethering so that a small percentage of people will tie up the spectrum by running p2p clients 24x7

I get a set amount of data with my plan. If I run past that amount with p2p, then its my fault.

Its their fault I can't use that bucket of data I pay for as I please.