If you look at Martha Stewart's case, her broker went outside to use his cell to call Martha and warn her.

Instant Messaging is also being logged.

Bottom line for those brokers is to go to Wal*Mart and buy a disposable cell phone and minutes card.

Or actually buy a couple of them so when you have to ditch one, you have a spare on hand.

But hey what do I know?

;-)

would it actually be legal for an employer to listen in to an employees calls without a change in the T/C of employment ?

What about 'personal calls' [yes, some of us have an allowance for personal calls as part of the perks of the job] between me and, wel, never you mind ?

MD

I suppose that all persons contemplating Insider-Trading or the like will simply use a seperate Pre-paid mobile for their nefarious deeds.

The effects of this software are being blown way out of proportion. It's a feel good security measure that has little real value. It certainly won't stop crooks from being crooks, they'll just use personal phones which can't be subjected to recording without consent. Lots of financial types carry two phones anyway so no big deal.

@Legal - It's legal for sure in the U.S. If you are using company property, they have the right to record and analyze what you are doing with it.Company supplied mobile phones, the phones in the office, your computer at work, and your computer at home (if the hardware is owned by the company)

In the U.S. it depends on which state the callers are in. In some states it is legal to record a call if one party consents to be recorded. In others it isn't unless both parties consent.

How long before a hack puts the software on a mobile to record conversations with a politician/footballer/tv super chef/member of the royal family?

Would it be possible to surreptitiously deploy it via a web link embedded in a text in a bid to blackmail... an intersting twist on the 419 scam?

Its main use is where a company has to keep records of calls, eg banks. It is not covert and not snooping. It could not be surreptitiously put on somebody's phone. It would be visible.

Completely pointless piece of software. It will only really catch the usual f-wits who get a large return on an insider deal then blow £20000 in a london club and tell everyone there how they "beat the system" before getting chucked in jail.

If you want to insider deal, use your own phone, there is no way your company would put the software there. Even with a company mobile, I never used it. It spent 95% of the time turned off and the idea of using company email or phones to do anything dodgy is beyond me.

Agreed, if someone wants to do something dodgy they will ,regardless.

This tool can enable traders who need recording to work legally to work from anywhere using their mobile, which they couldn't do before