Cell-Phone Tech Uses Accelerometer to Spy on Employees

Just occasionally, a bit of gear comes out that makes you wonder just whose side technology is on. And none more than this cell-phone idea from the R&D geeks at KDDI Corporation, one of Japan's biggest cell-phone makers. Spyware by any other name, the technology will enable bosses to use the accelerometer on their employees' phones to check up on whether they're working or not.

The idea is simple: software is embedded into an employee's mobile that is connected to a server that analyzes...