http://gizmodo.com/#!5796140Apple's broken their silence on the iPhone location tracking controversy with an amazingly self-contradictory Q&A press release. Most notable: they say the massive data cache goes too far, and will be fixed in an impending software update.
Ever since last week's revelation that iPhones and iPads were persistently logging your location without your knowledge or consent, Apple's refused to offer up any sort of explanation. Meanwhile, foreign governments, congress, and pissed off customers wanted one. As did we. Today, we get one. Pretty much.
The release itself is full of more hedges than a Versailles topiary garden—insisting that "The iPhone is not logging your location," but that instead "it's maintaining a database of Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers around your current location, some of which may be located more than one hundred miles away from your iPhone, to help your iPhone rapidly and accurately calculate its location when requested." While the latter part may be true, their "explanation" of the logging is an arrant falsehood, since the effect of the timestamped database kept by your phone is that it is de facto logging your location. We're not tracking your location, we're just tracking your location! Right. So while this is an admission of some wrongdoing--"We don't think the iPhone needs to store more than seven days of this data"—Apple still refuses to call a spade a spade. Your phone is logging your location, and has been since this summer. I've seen it with my own eyes, and so have you. Their defense is akin to saying "I haven't been staring in your window at you while you're asleep, I've been looking inside and admiring all of your decor!"
oops!! of course, it's only a BUG, not intended
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-20057815-266.html
my guess on the bug fix: same amount info stored, but will be encrypted where only the FBI/DHS will have the 2048-bit key.
From a technical standpoint, it's really easy to see why they do this. And why Android does it too, and pretty much any other mobile operator offering location services. Having the GPS on or the WiFi radio on at all times drains the battery much quicker. Locking into a GPS signal can take a while too.
What's BS is that you can't simply just shut it down, and that you're forced to participate in this data gathering, even if anonymous, and even when the experience of using location services might feel degraded. On the other hand, I'm pretty sure these companies have been pressured by LE not to remove the 'feature'.
Actually, they just said the 'fix' is that they won't back it up. Which is really no fix at all.
I take that back.. they're saying they'll delete the file when location services is turned off...
My few android services that use the GPS have asked me if I wanted search locations to be based on my location. I never read the disclaimer, I said YES, knowing it was tracking me. For me, it was a no-brainer, but I can see how it may alarm some.
The location data cache is created regardless wether you say YES or NO.
In somewhat related news:
TomTom admits to sending your routes and speed information to the police
! http://crave.cnet.co.uk/cartech/tomt...#ixzz1KqglIBrzCrave is now taking bets on what device will create the next tracking storm. Will our refrigerators start monitoring how many pies we've eaten? Will our door locks start telling our mums that we're staying out til the wee hours? Will our computers tell our boss we've spent all day looking at cats on YouTube instead of doing any... hang on a minute... dammit
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