Watch Out: Your iPhone Knows Where You've Been

[Celtic_Kerr]

So does every other smartphone on the market (I call bullshit on the Android not doing it). Why is this news?

The news article explained it. Normally, only the authorities can look into your location via GPS. Just like the authorities can look into your texting records if they find it might give a clue on the case.

The iPhone allows ANYONE to download where you've been if you know how to read the text file.

How is this news? Just about any company can do this via tracing calls, Apple is just less subtle about it.

This as well, not just anyone is allowed to trace a call and find out where it came from. The information is stored, but a phone call must be connected for 30 seconds to be traced. This is just. Every hour "PING! He's here! ......... PING! Now he's here!"

 

[McMullen]

Whatever their goal was, the implementation was bad enough that I feel pretty confident in saying the people responsible do not deserve their jobs, or any other for that matter.

This should have been announced with the update, and explained. It should have been optional, it should have notified the user when activating for the first time, and it should have been something the user can turn on or off.

They had to have known all that, and they did it this way instead. If they didn't see this bad press coming then they are simply too stupid to be working, and should be blacklisted. People with that bad of judgment can only damage things.

 

[Petromir]

Given it was google that pretty much brought such things to consumer tech applications, chances of google device not doing it?

And it's pretty ewasy to stop, just turn off the GPS, it cant record data it's not measuring can it?

 

[Caligulove]

Creepy enough that the authorities can tap into your phone or track you with GPS with suspicion and a warrant- or even without the way legislation is going (protecting your freedoms, I mean) but seriously creepy that anyone can do this. Especially the potential for dangerously abusive spouses or exes to find and further torment their victim.

Though Im pretty sure Im not objective on the subject since I have a stepsister with a restraining order against a crazy ex-bf so its a biased subject in the family

 

[beema]

...and yet everyone will continue in droves to buy every piece of shi(t)ny plastic that Apple makes a new version of every 3 months.

They will probably say they were using it to develop their own "Check In" app or something, since everyone else in the universe is doing that right now.
More likely they will use this demographic data to somehow make more money and eat people's souls, or just sell it to third party marketing firms.

 

[JDKJ]

Given it was google that pretty much brought such things to consumer tech applications, chances of google device not doing it?

And it's pretty ewasy to stop, just turn off the GPS, it cant record data it's not measuring can it?

Oh, yes, it can if it's got an override that allows it to continue recording and transmitting data even after you've turned it off. Steve Jobs is a crafty son of a *****. He thinks of everything.

 

[Ampersand]

I don't really have anything to hide, so whom so ever wants to track me can just have at it.

 

[Exocet]

Question: why is Apple allowed to get away with things like this?
It's a simple question,but there's always something with Apple,but people dismiss it and keep buying their stuff.

 

[JDKJ]

Creepy enough that the authorities can tap into your phone or track you with GPS with suspicion and a warrant- or even without the way legislation is going (protecting your freedoms, I mean) but seriously creepy that anyone can do this. Especially the potential for dangerously abusive spouses or exes to find and further torment their victim.

Though Im pretty sure Im not objective on the subject since I have a stepsister with a restraining order against a crazy ex-bf so its a biased subject in the family

It usually takes more than mere "suspicion" to get a warrant from a judge. It takes "probable cause" (i.e., a reasonable amount of suspicion, supported by circumstances sufficiently strong to justify a prudent and cautious person's belief that a person has committed a crime and the warrant, if issued, will lead to the discovery of evidence related to that crime).

 

[Low Key]

I can see this getting really bad really fast. I don't understand the love people have for Apple products. All they have are a few patents under their name. Their hardware and especially their OS is nothing special at all, and as we see here, it tracks you.

 

[Anarchemitis]

I have always suspected all phones made since 2005 can do this and the information has never been made public or official. Not as a conspiracy, more of one of those things that the US Government would to in the name of Security, like back door Phone number access.

 

[JDKJ]

Question: why is Apple allowed to get away with things like this?
It's a simple question,but there's always something with Apple,but people dismiss it and keep buying their stuff.

It's just one small step towards their diabolical goal of total world domination. Muu-huu-ah-ah-ah-ah!!

 

[Chronodc]

Honestly looks like Apple likes to keep a "secret agenda". They could be using it to develop new ways of advertising and ways for make people waste more money. What is based in the information in the file they decide the locations of their stores. The possibilities seems infinite.

Good thing I still use my good ol' Sony Ericsson and have my latop for internet access

 

[Orannis0]

Yet another reason why I have just have an Ipod Touch in conjunction with a basic $20 samsung flip phone.

What makes you think your Touch isn't tracking you through your wi-fi connect?

There isn't wi-fi everywhere, and routers/modems don't hold location data unless they're also connecting to a 3G network. At best an Itouch would only provide an infrequent and random smattering of location data for a meager few locations, as most people know enough to at least have WEP encryption.

 

[tkioz]

Well that sounds like such a lovely hidden feature now doesn't it how could it ever go wrong... /sarcasm

 

[Alphakirby]

HA! I don't HAVE an Iphone!
Enjoy Big Brother Stalking you, Conformists!

I don't have an iPhone either. When Apple initiates The Takeover they will have a bit of difficulty finding me.

Everyone else though: enjoy the labor camps and, off-world silicon mining! I and the rest of the resistance (Android-based and likely named after HK-47, the most bad-ass of droids) will be with you after a good, long "We told you so".

So...can I join the rebellion too,I don't have an iPhone...I'm good with swords,but I have no Droid,just a crappy flip phone

 

[Petromir]

Given it was google that pretty much brought such things to consumer tech applications, chances of google device not doing it?

And it's pretty ewasy to stop, just turn off the GPS, it cant record data it's not measuring can it?

Oh, yes, it can if it's got an override that allows it to continue recording and transmitting data even after you've turned it off. Steve Jobs is a crafty son of a *****. He thinks of everything.

You are absurdly paranoid aren't you, it's not being uploaded, and you'd notice if that was being turned on or off. It flags up an icon telling you its on, and given the time it takes to get a GPS fix, its going to be spotted when it does. Since it ahsnt been, you can tell.

What precisely use is it to apple anyway, criminals and law enforcement yes, but apple?

If it was uploading it there might be some idea that apple was doing something unterword, but storing it on you phone, I doubt it.

Quite why its doing it I don't know, but most applications i can think of the data, is to criminals (either to track when your away, or your movements) or the goverment, to try and prove your movements.

 

[Android2137]

Wa-hey! Another reason for my silly insistence on using obsolete cell phone models!

 

[GasparNolasco]

I, for one am glad it tracks where I've been. That way if I ever black out for a few days I know what happened.

Trust me, if you ever black out for a few days you iPhone will be the first thing to go...

 

[LightspeedJack]

I guess Steve Jobs just likes to watch me go from my house to college then to town every day.