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Apple tracks your location in iOS 4, without your permission
The presence of this data on your iPhone, your iPad, and your backups has serious privacy implications. To make matters worse, the file with said data is unencrypted and unprotected, and it's on any machine you've synced with your iOS device. If your device is stolen, the perpetrator can jailbreak it and easily access the file in question, and will be able to see where you've been over the last year, since iOS 4 was released.
Cell phone companies have always had this data, but it takes a court order to access it. Now this information is sitting in plain view, unprotected from the world. If you want to protect your data, you can encrypt your backups through iTunes (click on your device within iTunes and then check "Encrypt iPhone Backup" under the "Options" area). Warden and Allan also built iPhone Tracker, an application that lets you look at your own data. The application and its source can be downloaded from our download section.
The good news is that there is no evidence to suggest this data is leaving your custody. Still, it's not clear why Apple is gathering this data, although the way it is implemented shows that it is intentional. Apple has yet to release a statement in regards to this issue.
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User Comments (41)
Post a comment|
Guest
on April 20, 2011 5:16 PM |
Did anyone expect anything less from this dirty company? |
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Guest
on April 20, 2011 5:17 PM |
Can't wait to hear how people try and spin this one. I read the same thing over there at MacRumors and you would think apple was doing you a favor by reading their comments. |
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Guest
on April 20, 2011 5:24 PM |
So, they'll know that I've spent 90 percent (or more) of my time at work and at home? And that I like the Chinese food restaurant down the street? NOOOOOOOOOOO! Make it stop!! |
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gwailo247
on April 20, 2011 5:41 PM |
Guest said: So, they'll know that I've spent 90 percent (or more) of my time at work and at home? And that I like the Chinese food restaurant down the street? NOOOOOOOOOOO! Make it stop!! Not quite as funny if your wife's/girlfriend's/mother's iPhone gets stolen from her on the street and the people know exactly where she lives or works. Its easy to change your number, not quite so easy to move or change jobs. Cause its not as if women haven't been stalked without the benefit of an electronic log of their whereabouts since they bought their phone. Its one thing having the data on the company servers, its another to be freely accessible by anyone who picks up your phone. And considering this data is also stored on devices which have never been activated by a cell carrier, just using wi-fi, makes it even worse. So when you get stopped by a cop and he asks to search your car, do you fall for the "if you have nothing to hide, let me search your car" argument? Probably not. If someone you don't like it does it, its a rape of your civil rights. If your bearded demi-god does it, its a "feature". |
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aj_the_kidd
on April 20, 2011 5:52 PM |
Guest said: So, they'll know that I've spent 90 percent (or more) of my time at work and at home? And that I like the Chinese food restaurant down the street? NOOOOOOOOOOO! Make it stop!! Ah, iSheep always good for a laugh |
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Route44
on April 20, 2011 6:25 PM |
Ah, iSheep always good for a laugh I like this! |
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Gars
on April 20, 2011 6:54 PM |
its oblivious iSheeps sre all around just pickup1 .. just ask for the USB port haha ..its not that funny |
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jink
on April 20, 2011 7:33 PM |
Just because your paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you! |
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Guest
on April 20, 2011 8:31 PM |
Welcome to 1984.... .....George Orwell. |
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tonylukac
on April 20, 2011 8:51 PM |
Sort of like any gps device. |
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jink
on April 20, 2011 10:25 PM |
fear is the mind killer -Dune |
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mosu
on April 21, 2011 12:29 AM |
Thank you, guys don't tell my wife! Seriously, on a GPS device you can freely delete tracks. I wonder where is all that data sent... |
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Guest
on April 21, 2011 5:05 AM |
Honestly don't care. I go to work/school most of the day, and I'm pretty sure I have a much higher probably of being attacked on the street just to steal my stuff then someone casually taking my phone just to run home, hook it up to a computer, find the file in question, interpret my coordinates from latitude and longitude, put together a common route/time I'm at any given place so they can THEN go find me and attack me. People get so paranoid about something that has the POSSIBILITY of happening even though it's not a very logical thing to ever happen. |
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Guest
on April 21, 2011 5:09 AM |
not "without your permission". if you read the terms of service before clicking agree (as if anyone does) you would see that you ARE giving your permission. so nyah. |
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Guest
on April 21, 2011 5:14 AM |
I am sure that Apple has already patented this "feature" so nobody else can use it. |
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Guest
on April 21, 2011 5:14 AM |
Apple = evil |
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Guest
on April 21, 2011 5:36 AM |
Actually, I think people would be surprised to know that almost ALL cell companies are sending their positional data to companies that produce traffic flow information. The "consent" to transmit this data freely is buried very deeply in the EULAs and contracts. The information is supposedly scrubbed but could very easily be tied to a particular mobile device. These are known in the traffic world as "probes". There are also devices that are stationary at the sides of roads and embedded in the roadways that measure traffic flow. These are referred to as "sensors". |
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Guest
on April 21, 2011 5:50 AM |
it has to go. has no legitmate legal purpose |
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Guest
on April 21, 2011 5:52 AM |
I have found that there people who I dont know see and watch me in the street and I dont even carry a phone , magic |
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Guest
on April 21, 2011 6:02 AM |
I see the Fan Boi Brigade is out in force. God forbid that someone wants to have privacy, I guess. Glad I got a Xoom! |
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Guest
on April 21, 2011 6:06 AM |
i wonder if they have figured out how to snap photos with my camera app without me knowing...i probably agreed to that to when i clicked "agree to terms and conditions"..damn they got me. |
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Guest
on April 21, 2011 6:07 AM |
Know what? My iPhone also holds a log of my phone calls. It has a list of all of my contacts and their personal information including phone numbers, physical, and email addresses. And it knows my appointment schedule for the next three months. I don't care that it records its location because that information isn't shared with anyone. Apple's business model doesn't revolve on following people's behavior. There is one company to watch whose entire business model is based on understanding your behavior--Google. They scare me more. |
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Guest
on April 21, 2011 6:11 AM |
Sound's about right--------- The Apple is rotten , again. (again, again). |
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Guest
on April 21, 2011 6:21 AM |
my phone went to las vegas without me... lol |
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Guest
on April 21, 2011 6:48 AM |
Android records user location from day 1, so what? |
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