kerkko.fi

Most people's understanding of what can actually be done with the data provided by our mobile phones is theoretical; there were few real-world examples. That is why Malte Spitz from the German Green party decided to publish his own data collected from August 2009 to February 2010. However, to even access the information, he had to file a suit against telecommunications giant Deutsche Telekom.

The data were contained in a massive Excel document. Each of the 35,831 rows of the spreadsheet represents an instance when Spitz's mobile phone transferred information over a half-year period. Seen individually, the pieces of data are mostly inconsequential. But taken together, they provide what investigators call a profile -– a clear picture of a person's habits and preferences, and of his or her life.

The profile reveals when Spitz walked down the street, when he took a train, when he was in an airplane. It shows when he worked and when he slept, when he could be reached by phone and when was unavailable. It shows when he preferred to talk on his phone and when he preferred to send a text message. It shows which beer gardens he liked to visit in his free time. All in all, it reveals an entire life.