This cell phone hardware/software feature would do the following: Record a constant feed stored in an individual cloud account encrypted at the phone itself using the user's pass phrase. (obviously the user would need a plan with unlimited data.) Rotate the feed so only about twenty minutes are stored at any one time. If available also include motion and GPS sensor readings This way if a criminal should destroy the phone in an attempt to destroy evidence it will be available.EDIT: obviously I'm speaking of a service customers could elect to use or not. [21] It's as much to keep police from trashing people's phones when they've been recorded as the official bad guys.[competitor] The idea in the link is only tangentially related to this one.-- Voice, Jun 04 2011 This is not even close to a new idea http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/3497596.stm [theircompetitor, Jun 05 2011] How much bandwidth required? Power consumption? Vulnerability to snoopers?-- pocmloc, Jun 05 2011 Not heard of GCHQ and Echelon? then the only trouble is getting a copy of the backed up data when you need it as the pass phrase is quite complicated ];-)-- SANEAlex, Jun 05 2011 I think it would be pretty handy if the service was provided, free of charge, for the authorities to use in case of crime committed against the owner of the phone. the data would be accessible only by use of passcodes kept in the hands of law enforcement, which would change periodically.
battery is still an issue, as well as your phone taking video and sound recordings of the insides of your pockets.-- fischerman, Jun 06 2011 I really don't like the idea of the passcodes being kept by law enforcement: I do NOT want the government having any kind of access to what my phone is recording. Also it defeats the main purpose of the idea: to keep police from destroying evidence.-- Voice, Jun 06 2011 A policeman who commits a crime he wants to hide is a criminal...-- Voice, Jun 06 2011 I have a voice recorder on my phone, and once I accidentally pressed it without pressing stop. I noticed it was recording about 8 hours later, and it had used only about 30% of the battery which I was quite surprised at. I was also amazed at the audio quality considering it was recording in its case, in my pocket. You can easily hear all of the conversations I had that day.
However, there is no doubt that if it was transmitting the data it would never have lasted anywhere near that long.-- mitxela, Jun 06 2011 [voice], the actual occurrence of policemen committing crimes is pretty low, from what I understand. if security becomes a huge problem and lots of people don't want police having their data, then the data could be removed to a more secure agency, such as the FBI, or a new agency could be created specifically for this purpose. the information would be available on request by local law enforcement, but under the protection of the agency.
still, I'm wondering if it might not be better, battery-wise, to have an incredibly durable case inside the phone, holding a short term memory of actions/audiovisual recording. less energy spent sending it out, and given that it was sturdy enough would be equally difficult to get rid of, though not terribly tricky to steal.
I know that my phone lasts about three days on one charge. given the power demands of this system, it might last through the day, if I charge it overnight. a smart phone is not necessary for this idea, and many people don't have smart phones or tablets.-- fischerman, Jun 07 2011 random, halfbakery