Got an iPhone? Read this.

[Memnir]

This is disturbing, and important to know about if you have an iPhone.

LINK

[Robi3.0]

Seems to me from reading the article, that it is something that any smart phone user should be concerned about.

Nice find.

[Darkrok]

Before I get goofy, let me just say I completely agree that this is a serious issue that needs addressed.

/seriousness off

This is a great feature! Now when I've had one (or more) too many I can hook up my iPhone the next day and find out where I was last night!

[khaldan]

To go along with the article, I've heard rumors that this information is going to be used by apple to customize advertisements, a la Minority Report, if less sophisticated.

However, I have no source to back this up, though it's something I'm definently going to look into later.

[Qutsemnie]

It is an interesting story, but everyone with a cell phone should be aware of the fact that the provider tracks and increasing stores your movements in their data base. They have to track you to know the most efficient cell tower, and someone realized that knowing about where you are at and where you go is information worth keeping.

There was a german politician that forced a german cell phone company to give up all the information they had about him via a german law. He then collected the information and put it in a movie here: http://www.zeit.de/datenschutz/malte...data-retention

Hit play to see the tracking.


I get the idea that this is one more party collecting one more piece of information, but it is important to realize that there is a bigger picture then a blunder by Apple.

[Henrieta]

Yikes. When should we begin the next Revolution?

[Khanyth]

Bah...... like the Matrix needs to know where we are. We're in the same old pod/slime.... just living our "lives"

[khaldan]

It is an interesting story, but everyone with a cell phone should be aware of the fact that the provider tracks and increasing stores your movements in their data base. They have to track you to know the most efficient cell tower, and someone realized that knowing about where you are at and where you go is information worth keeping.

It's not that apple's tracking where you go, it's where the information's being kept.

Without this, the only way someone can track me down via my phone is with a court order.

With this, anyone with access to the computer i sync my iphone to or my iphone can figure out where I am and everywhere I've been with a few minutes of prep work. One of these I can understand. The other can only cause problems.

[PopeJual]

As a side effect of this kind of tracking, you can also give a buddy your cell phone to keep with him while he stays at his own home for a day and you can go commit crimes with a technological alibi to back up your friend's claim that you were with him all day.

Winning!

[Winter_storm]

It not something new. Cell phones have always been tracked. Very simple at first then as technology grew it stayed server side. Now with more phone capabilities it seems they are starting to keep track on the phone itself. There have been apps out for a while now that tells you the nearest (restaurant, gas station, bar, cyber cafe, etc) from where you are by using that tracking feature. Just no one put two and two together.

[PopeJual]

It not something new. Cell phones have always been tracked. Very simple at first then as technology grew it stayed server side. Now with more phone capabilities it seems they are starting to keep track on the phone itself. There have been apps out for a while now that tells you the nearest (restaurant, gas station, bar, cyber cafe, etc) from where you are by using that tracking feature. Just no one put two and two together.

Most cell phones don't store that data on the phone where it is easy to steal, though.

[Winter_storm]

Also supposedly it can be turned off, on for 911 only, or fully on. But who really knows how much it keeps track and how much it reports.

[khaldan]

Also supposedly it can be turned off, on for 911 only, or fully on. But who really knows how much it keeps track and how much it reports.

Sadly, no. For apple, at least, when you got your iPhone, you agreed to this(somehow), and it happens automatically. There isn't an opt out.

[Beld]

app which allows you to find your phone if stolen and/or wipe the memory remotely with a password...it is also how the various apps do track the nearest locations during searches. If you are worried about it, figure out a way to crack the file and extract the location information from the computer or keep the phone locked with a passcode to prevent someone from taking it and getting the info out of it.

All phones can be tracked and I would hazard a pretty educated guess that they all keep the old information stored on the phone for returning to places you search for often, to generate a pattern of recent or overall searched etc., this is just pinpointing apple cause the former employee probably has an axe to grind.

If you really want to be scared about stuff like this, read the Patriot Act completely, then you can really find out how little freedom and privacy you do have.