Why not to lock your phone (safety)

[iYRe]

This was from a bicycle blog, but I think he has a point:


CYCLING SAFETY: DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO.
Don’t lock your phone.
Period.
If you carry your phone as a safety device on rides, there’s no need to passcode lock it.
But there are many, many reasons not to. Here’s a big one.
When I had my latest bad crash, my phone was locked.
For the first couple hours I was in and out of consciousness. Mostly not.
In one of my rare moments of consciousness, face-down in some rocks, a stranger was holding my phone in front of my face begging me to remember the code (and my name). I got lucky and entered the right one (on the third try) and dialed my wife’s number. Then, went nighty-night again.
I get it wrong and my wife may not have known what happened.
I. Got. Lucky.
So forget the passcode.
Because heaven forbid, you may forget the passcode.
- Brian

Some people disagree.. and rightly so.. but then.. perhaps its worth unlocking it while we are out on our bikes? I mean.. what's the purpose of an ICE number if no one can get in your phone?

[pritch]

If I'm travelling the phone is off, otherwise the battery goes flat while the phone constantly searches for a signal. My phone is just a dumb phone, and while there is no PIN any thief could only access the balance of the pre-paid $20.00 or so.

[duckonin]

Why do you need to lock your phone ? Is it your pocket it sits in or anothers ?

[iYRe]

mine locks, so that it doesnt accidentally ring people, but its not passworded.

People who have "secret" information (or sensitive, etc) on phones/laptops/tablets are just waiting to have their lives destroyed.

I can't tell you how many people have come to me and said "what can I do.. I lost my ipad and it had all my secret private secure sensitive documents on it.. I know I shouldnt have but I never thought I would lose it.." *sigh*

Never. If you must take stuff with you.. keep it in the cloud and never "save" your password/username (always manually enter it - its a pain, but its better).

[Erelyes]

I mean.. what's the purpose of an ICE number if no one can get in your phone?

Generally emergency numbers (111) will still work regardless of whether the phone's locked or not, but I guess it depends on the manufacturer.

They do make a good point though. 'locking' the phone yes; passcoding, no. That way after the good samaritan finds you and calls the ambulance, they can call your NOK too.

On this subject, I read about keeping a 'just in case' piece of paper in your top pocket in a ziplock bag - and in it putting your medical history, allergies, blood type, etc. - to help emergency services out when they find ya.

[Smifffy]

When my phone is locked you can still dial 111 and 4 ICE contacts that I have programmed in.

[Gremlin]

I used to lock mine with a PIN. From a security point of view, there is a lot of information in it that shouldn't be public.

However, I did stop that on a trip earlier this year, as constantly stopping to take a picture and having to unlock everytime became a PITA. Now it's just a swipe unlock... really should be better tho... and I know better. You're also assuming that people know how to use the smartphone.

In my Android mobile at least, I can program a welcome screen message, so I've put my name and an ICE contact.

[chasio]

When my phone is locked you can still dial 111 and 4 ICE contacts that I have programmed in.

Nice. What phone is that and does it need an app?

---

As mentioned, people can always make emergency calls off a locked phone so it is just the ability to look up your ICE contact that is impeded by having a lock.

I put a pattern lock on my phone and figured I would just make a a label up to put the ICE number on the back of it. Sorted. Except I haven't done it yet...

[iYRe]

I used to lock mine with a PIN. From a security point of view, there is a lot of information in it that shouldn't be public.

However, I did stop that on a trip earlier this year, as constantly stopping to take a picture and having to unlock everytime became a PITA. Now it's just a swipe unlock... really should be better tho... and I know better. You're also assuming that people know how to use the smartphone.

In my Android mobile at least, I can program a welcome screen message, so I've put my name and an ICE contact.

Most people know how to use a smartphone.. even my 70 yr old dad does..

Welcome message is a good idea though.
I thought of putting a little plastic bag just inside my fairing with a note in it, but then in a big crash it might get lost in the wreckage.

[BoristheBiter]

I'm yet to see someone not carry their own phone.
If I am in that bad a condition I want the ambo first, after that the police have my details.

how many ride by themselves that this would be a problem?

[Smifffy]

Nice. What phone is that and does it need an app?



It's standard - no app needed. It's an S4 so yeah.

[iYRe]

I'm yet to see someone not carry their own phone.
If I am in that bad a condition I want the ambo first, after that the police have my details.

how many ride by themselves that this would be a problem?

I ride by myself all the time.. on a motorbike and a bicycle. when you're married with kids and so are all your mates, scheduling time to ride together is hard, so you ride when you can.. sometimes alone, sometimes not.

[caspernz]

Label on top of helmet with pertinent info, ditto for dogtag around my neck. Good enough for the army days, so why not continue that in civvy street? Phone is always PIN locked, works for me...

[SMOKEU]

People who have "secret" information (or sensitive, etc) on phones/laptops/tablets are just waiting to have their lives destroyed.

I can't tell you how many people have come to me and said "what can I do.. I lost my ipad and it had all my secret private secure sensitive documents on it.. I know I shouldnt have but I never thought I would lose it.." *sigh*

Never. If you must take stuff with you.. keep it in the cloud and never "save" your password/username (always manually enter it - its a pain, but its better).

Serves those dumbasses right for carrying important shit around without being encrypted.

[Mushu]

I ride on my own more often than not, especially when trail riding. I use the basic Android pattern code thing, but as has been said if I'm so fucked up I can't use my own phone forget ICE, just call an ambulance, I always carry my license so the cops can identify me and get hold of next of kin if it's necessary.

[iYRe]

Serves those dumbasses right for carrying important shit around without being encrypted.

encryption can be broken.

[Big Dave]

I'm yet to see someone not carry their own phone.
snip
how many ride by themselves that this would be a problem?

Me. I mostly ride alone and rarely carry a phone.

[SMOKEU]

encryption can be broken.

If it's well encrypted with a good algorithm and long, complex password then it's pretty secure. 99% of people wouldn't know how to break it, and the average laptop or low end desktop is crap at brute force attacks.

[Mushu]

encryption can be broken.

To break decent encryption takes a fair bit of knowledge and skill far beyond the scope of any regular phone thief, they are far more likely to wipe the phone so they can get into it and sell it

[iYRe]

To break decent encryption takes a fair bit of knowledge and skill far beyond the scope of any regular phone thief, they are far more likely to wipe the phone so they can get into it and sell it


If it's well encrypted with a good algorithm and long, complex password then it's pretty secure. 99% of people wouldn't know how to break it, and the average laptop or low end desktop is crap at brute force attacks.

Yep, I agree, but still.. it can be broken. I was asked to help on a project where people had to be able to get into certain countries, access information, and not be traceable, or have any record of what they had done or who they were on their computers... we decided encryption wasn't a big enough deterrent.

Anyway.. best idea is not to rely on mobile device security to protect your goodies, be it phone, tablet, laptop, or whatever. If someone wants your stuff.. they'll get it.

[Hitcher]

Why not get one's ICE details tattooed on one's forehead?

[Akzle]

encryption can be broken.
i would challenge you to break the hardware level encryption on my phone. detected or otherwise.

To break decent encryption takes a fair bit of knowledge and skill far beyond the scope of any regular phone thief, they are far more likely to wipe the phone so they can get into it and sell it
i would challenge you to wipe an encrypted memory chip.
low level write access would require pulling the phone apart , desoldering the chip and putting it into a pinout pcb where it can be fucked up via serial badassery...

my phone becomes a shiney brick when it's not attached to me...



-edit-
that might be firmware level.. now i cry.

[iYRe]

i would challenge you to break the hardware level encryption on my phone. detected or otherwise.

i would challenge you to wipe an encrypted memory chip.
low level write access would require pulling the phone apart , desoldering the chip and putting it into a pinout pcb where it can be fucked up via serial badassery...

my phone becomes a shiney brick when it's not attached to me...



-edit-
that might be firmware level.. now i cry.

your point being that it can be done.. just not easily..

[bobsmith]

i would challenge you to break the hardware level encryption on my phone. detected or otherwise.

i would challenge you to wipe an encrypted memory chip.
low level write access would require pulling the phone apart , desoldering the chip and putting it into a pinout pcb where it can be fucked up via serial badassery...

my phone becomes a shiney brick when it's not attached to me...



-edit-
that might be firmware level.. now i cry.

Okay, I'm curious. What phone do you have? Most "security" features I've seen on android and iOS are fairly crap and I'd never rely on them... Hell on my S3 I can plug the phone into the computer and all the files are visible with the phone still locked (I remember the blackberries we had had better security) and I'm pretty android doesn't support data encryption...

[Big Dave]

Why not get one's ICE details tattooed on one's forehead?

Over here, Ice is 'P'.

They would probably scratch it off.

[Grashopper]

+1 for the dogtags

My phone does not need a pin or anything to be unlocked. If it gets stolen I hope the thief has lots of fun with my collection of scenic bike photos...
My laptops are unlocked, cause anyone can access the information on the harddrives anyway if they get stolen. I did have a TrueCrypt folder though cause I was getting a bit paranoid before my flight to the US. Unfortunately I can't remember the password anymore now...

[Akzle]

your point being that it can be done.. just not easily..
jah. not likely to be done by the niggers who steal phones.

Okay, I'm curious. What phone do you have? Most "security" features I've seen on android and iOS are fairly crap and I'd never rely on them... Hell on my S3 I can plug the phone into the computer and all the files are visible with the phone still locked (I remember the blackberries we had had better security) and I'm pretty android doesn't support data encryption...
bwahahahahahahahah. you clearly don't follow me, d'ya? i would never voluntarily carry a jewgle tracking device. and if i had the money to waste on crapple products, i'd probably buy hookers and blow instead.

its a nokia, and not running windows.

+1 for the dogtags

My phone does not need a pin or anything to be unlocked. If it gets stolen I hope the thief has lots of fun with my collection of scenic bike photos...
My laptops are unlocked, cause anyone can access the information on the harddrives anyway if they get stolen. I did have a TrueCrypt folder though cause I was getting a bit paranoid before my flight to the US. Unfortunately I can't remember the password anymore now...

a can of freon and a bash script will clear that right up.
infact, i think photorec might be able to pull your shit even through the encryption...
step 1: try linux.

[cheshirecat]

Use face unlock so it recognises me in the helmet. Works most of the time!

[Berries]

I would prefer that no contacts in my phone are rung from a crash site. What's the point? The lucky finder can ring 111 from their own phone and I'll let them take it from there.

FFS. A night in hospital might be the only night of peace and quiet I get, fuck having the family standing around. In fact, rather than remove the password I have just changed the word HOME to HELL PIZZA. Not only will the family not turn up I might get a slice of pizza out of it. Sweet.

[MarkH]

I use a pin number to unlock my phone - complete protection from accidentally dialling someone and better security.
Why do I need security? Well, my E-Mail (in & out) is available through my phone as well as all contacts, calendar, photos, etc.

I do have my mum's number as a ICE number which can be dialled without unlocking the phone - using an S4 like Smiffy.

[awa355]

I have a pin no. Not to stop the crims, but so the missus cant flick through my contacts. :msn-wink:

[Banditbandit]

Fuck .. how ever did we cope before there were cellphones ???

I do carry one now - I ride alone often - I rarely turn it on ... I use my phone when I want to make call ... I don't care if people want to call me - I am on the road and unavailable ...

This is First World issue ... and a rich people's one at that ...

[Akzle]

Fuck .. how ever did we cope before there were cellphones ???

slowly but surely

[bluninja]

Only accident I had that needed an ambo, my phone was busted in the accident!! I carry a license and ride my own registered bike so not hard for the right people to make contact with NOK at the right time.

[nosebleed]

Fuck .. how ever did we cope before there were cellphones ???

I do carry one now - I ride alone often - I rarely turn it on ... I use my phone when I want to make call ... I don't care if people want to call me - I am on the road and unavailable ...

This is First World issue ... and a rich people's one at that ...

Agreed. Apart from the rich peoples bit.

The original post smacks of that "You didn't see me but I was there, I'm a biker" bullshit.
Can't see why this is an issue really, carry a phone or don't, lock your phone or don't, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone nowadays who doesn't have their own phone.

So even if I'm lying in the ditch with a locked phone can't see why the "stranger" (as opposed to "the stranger") wouldn't call the Ambo from their own phone.
Don't faff around finding my ICE numbers because chances are I'm miles away from that contact person and I'd much rather the emergency were on their way.

[chasio]

I have now stuck a label on the back of my phone with Mrs Chasio's contact numbers (I am not style conscious as anyone who has met me will attest and my phone is a bit shit, TBH). If they look for my phone, they'll find the ICE details. They are also on my helmet along with my own name and number (in case I am ever jackass enough to leave it somewhere and an honest person finds it).

Totally agree that most people have a phone for emergency calls. As I see it, ICE is not for my benefit. Rather:

1) The ambos or plod won't have to piss about finding contact numbers for my next of kin as they will have it to hand.
2) Mrs Chasio will be able to start planning how to spend the life insurance ASAP.

Sorted.

[R650R]

I see there's already a sticky thread about this so its been done to death but a couple of points...
Do you really want the first random stranger that searches your pockets to be phoning your family with possibly an inaccurate or hyped version of your injuries?
You have a number plate attached to your vehicle that gives ems access to more info than you even know yourself...
As someone said phone likely to be wrecked on impact.
These trendy fads like ICE seem to be started up by people with good intentions and too much spare time.
I think the whole blood type thing is overhyped due to tv shows/Hollywood movies etc.... When was the last time you heard someone died because the ambulance crew didn't know their blood type???

[chasio]

I see there's already a sticky thread about this so its been done to death but a couple of points...
Do you really want the first random stranger that searches your pockets to be phoning your family with possibly an inaccurate or hyped version of your injuries?
You have a number plate attached to your vehicle that gives ems access to more info than you even know yourself...
As someone said phone likely to be wrecked on impact.
These trendy fads like ICE seem to be started up by people with good intentions and too much spare time.
I think the whole blood type thing is overhyped due to tv shows/Hollywood movies etc.... When was the last time you heard someone died because the ambulance crew didn't know their blood type???

Somehow I have never noticed the sticky so perhaps a merge is in order?

But as an aside, I'm more worried if I get taken out while out running or cycling TBH, as my phone is most likely the only thing I'd be carrying that I could be identified from. Although I am sure the police can soon get the info from Voda/Telecom, etc. in that case.

I note that St John (http://tvnz.co.nz/content/598054/425826.html) (not exactly people with too much time to spare) support the ICE concept.

Nonetheless, your comments are certainly food for thought, ta.

[unstuck]

I always make sure I have my phone in my pocket when out cutting trees down now, last time I had a tree roll over onto my foot, my ph was in my truck about 60mtrs away. Was a cold lonely few hours..:laugh::laugh: Not much point in taking it when out on the dirtbike, can never get reception anyway.:no:

[Big Dave]

You just have to be smarter than the trees.

[unstuck]

You just have to be smarter than the trees.

Im working on it.:Oops:

[russd7]

mine locks, so that it doesnt accidentally ring people, but its not passworded.

i discovered after a phone call from the local constabulary that this does not stop it dialing 111 from your pocket.

had just arrived at a watering hole and my phone rang, conversation something like this

me "yup"
other " this is the invercargil police, are you ok sir"
me "um yeah why is that"
police " you have rung the 111 emergency twice in the last 20 mins sir"
me "oh shit you are kidding me, i have just got off my bike"
police "no sir we take this very seriously but understand that your phone may have accidently dialed from your pocket"
me"but my phone is locked"
police "most phones can dial 111 without unlocking sir"
me"ok i will try and be more careful in future"
police" that would be appreciated sir"

[cbfb]

In reality I think the cops would just run the plate off my bike through their computer and get my address, home phone etc.

But it is a good point that I hadn't thought of - and the solution for me is a setting I found on my Samsung S Duos for "Owner Information". It allows you to put some text on the lock screen that is visible to anyone, while the phone is still secure. Mine just says "In case of emergency or if found please contact <<partner's no>>"

Never thought about it but if I lost my phone I'd be fucked, noone would have a chance of finding out who I am.

[Road kill]

You can lock your phone ?

I can't use your I phone so don't worry about that, and what I carry in my own wallet will more than I dentify me if I'm not yelling loud enough.

Lock your phone and an old cunt like me comes to your aid,,,,your probably gonna die.

[Edbear]

I have now stuck a label on the back of my phone with Mrs Chasio's contact numbers (I am not style conscious as anyone who has met me will attest and my phone is a bit shit, TBH). If they look for my phone, they'll find the ICE details. They are also on my helmet along with my own name and number (in case I am ever jackass enough to leave it somewhere and an honest person finds it).

Totally agree that most people have a phone for emergency calls. As I see it, ICE is not for my benefit. Rather:

1) The ambos or plod won't have to piss about finding contact numbers for my next of kin as they will have it to hand.
2) Mrs Chasio will be able to start planning how to spend the life insurance ASAP.

Sorted.

Not a bad idea. My phone is in a case that also has pockets for cards so I have a couple of business cards in it.

I am also going to get a PLB in case I have or happen upon an accident out in the sticks somewhere. NZ is a country with a lot of areas without cell phone coverage. Costs are coming down on technology like this.

[arcane12]

I have my work email on my phone, so a lock code is enforced by the Exchange policy (and the work phone they gave me for such matters is...less than 100% useful) :/

[Swoop]

My employer arrived with "emergency contact" shit some time back. To the question "Who do you want us to contact in an emergency?" I wrote down "An ambulance!"
Nothing was ever said, so I presume it is "on file" somewhere.



I used to lock mine with a PIN. From a security point of view, there is a lot of information in it that shouldn't be public.
Yeah? Must be some goooooood porn!:blip:

[cbfb]

I am also going to get a PLB in case I have or happen upon an accident out in the sticks somewhere. NZ is a country with a lot of areas without cell phone coverage. Costs are coming down on technology like this.

Good call, I've got one for hunting, it should live in my bike jacket from now on