A team of researchers have said that just four phone calls could be enough to determine the identity of the mobile phone users.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said that data acquired form mobile phone networks with the location of radio masts could allow anyone to identify identities of most people by with the help of just four pieces of information. The research has given rise to concerns as businesses and government agencies often use anonymous data from the networks.

The researchers said that anonymous data from networks does not contain name, home address, phone number or other aspects that directly identifies users but if the individual displays distinct patterns, it might be possible to identify the person using outside information. Researchers said that such data is increasing available to severalparties.

"A list of potentially sensitive professional and personal information that could be inferred about an individual knowing only his mobility trace was published recently by the Electronic Frontier Foundation. These include the movements of a competitor sales force, attendance of a particular church or an individual's presence in a motel or at an abortion clinic," researchers said.