Liberty Alliance boosts mobile privacy

The Liberty Alliance is aiming to boost the privacy of mobile phone users by creating service interface specifications for content messaging, including both SMS and MMS.

The consortium said that the specification, which will be based on its Identity Web Services Framework, aims to offer more privacy-friendly content messaging for mobile device users.

According to the Liberty Alliance, content messaging for mobile devices, such as ring-tones, skins, wallpapers and other premium services, is a rapidly growing business, particularly across Europe. Users are increasingly using SMS or MMS to obtain the content.

This business represents a large source of income for mobile operators and content providers alike, according to Timo Skytta, vice president of the Liberty Alliance and director of web services at Nokia.

"But it also represents a huge opportunity for privacy intrusion and increased spam, since users are exposing their telephone number directly to the content providers which can then easily give or sell this information to others," he said.

"The Liberty team recognised an opportunity to create a powerful service interface specification that would protect privacy, enhance the business opportunity for the content providers and deliver additional interoperability and ease of integration features, allowing service providers to provide multiple offerings in a privacy-respecting manner."

The Content SMS & MMS Service Interface Specifications are being designed to provide content providers with access to a mobile network, allowing receipt and delivery of SMS and MMS messages to and from users.

Users will be able to obtain content for their devices anonymously, and the content provider will remain unaware of the user's mobile telephone number or address.

The specification will also provide features such as different user identifiers for each content provider, periodic updating of these identifiers and the ability to terminate federation with a content provider.

A proof of concept application for the messaging service specification was demonstrated at a meeting of the messaging services group on 15 June.

The identity-enabled web service, developed by Trustgenix and Vodafone, allows mobile subscribers to order content from a third-party provider using their handset or a PC web browser, while maintaining the anonymity of their phone number.

"In addition to the important privacy controls, standardisation of all interfaces gives content providers one interface to implement versus having to implement different technologies for every operator," said Donal O'Shea, executive director at the Liberty Alliance.