Mobile User Privacy

As the deployment of mobile devices becomes ubiquitous and special interest groups and governments create laws to require the tracking of mobile users, user privacy is under serious threat. Being able to identify and locate an individual also creates a potential liability for service providers. Today the only private wireless communication system is the pre-paid cell phone. However, a pre-paid system is not ideal, as subscription-based services are more popular with both consumers and service providers, while users cannot be identified in emergencies as is required by the FCC's E911 Phase 2 bill. We aim to create a system that can be used by service providers, or by third parties, to (a) guarantee user privacy without restricting the billing options; and (b) allow identification of users when required by law or requested by the customer. Currently the user's identity is disclosed when accepting payments or authorizing access. We therefore aim to construct an anonymous electronic payment system that (a) can be used to hide the user's identity during payment or login, (b) can be integrated into typically low-powered and size-constrained mobile devices, (c) can trace users when required by law, and (d) can be adapted to existing providers' infrastructure