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Q: Steve,
Could you please explain the necessity of the passive location-tracking tool embedded in my iPhone? It's kind of unnerving knowing that my exact location is being recorded at all times. Maybe you could shed some light on this for me before I switch to a Droid. They don't track me.
A: Oh yes they do. We don't track anyone. The info circulating around is false.
Sent from my iPhone
Although it has been shown that Android also gathers location information, it was also made quite clear that the database is limited to a much smaller list of entries and is regularly wiped by the system. From what researchers discovered, ever since iOS 4, iPhones and 3G iPads have been storing a long list of latitude-longitude coordinates and timestamps, all of which is kept across backups, and even device migrations. 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.
In the email, it appears that Jobs is either poorly informed, or that he is deliberately trying to make Apple look better and make Google look worse. Either way, both companies may end up having to make some changes; at the very least the user should be told what their device is doing.
User Comments: 56
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I don't know why but I keep imagining Bill Clinton saying, "I did not track that woman." XDEither that or, it depends on what your definition of "track" is".
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Clench your but cheeks, unkca Stevie's a comin' ta gitcha...!
J.O.B.S. is actually an acronym...! It stands for "Jump On Board Sucka"....
You have to be familiar with the, (now defunct), TV series, "Dollhouse", to understand where Stevie Boy recruits his customers. Suffice it to say, "they all try to be their best"......
Never watched it, but the concept sounds cool. Reminds me of the way Molly got her shiny new eyes in Neuromancer.
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I don't get it... why lie? So what if you're being tracked, pretty sure my GPS in my car knows EXACTLY where i am, and yes it records it so it knows how to find satellites quickly when I turn it on. As Capn said above.. they gotta know how to bill you too. So why lie about it? Either a) Steve doesn't know what's going on with his own phones, but thinks he does and he's a delusional fool. or b) he knows there's no good reason to record it permanently and he's taking advantage of his loyal customers, which makes him a devious liar.
I'm betting on devious liar.
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Honestly, my bet is this comment was a knee-jerk "gird your loins" move to protect the company, which is what Steve-o does best. You can almost see the thought process clicking through that noggin of his: Just because our phone records your every move in a secret hidden file that we didn't bother to tell anybody about, that doesn't mean Apple is tracking you! Hey, look over there, a highly distracting Android shaped thingy! *poof*
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@mil
I think his statement is aimed at iSheeps, so they don't break away and run out to the adjacent barns.
I do agree that tracking will occur, due to nature of services being provided but they need to make things clear what is being done and for what reasons.
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a) Steve meant that Apple does not keep a record at Apple Corporation of where you are and where you have been.
b) Steve is implying that Google DOES. This is what he will need to prove.
c) If this is the case, then it is somewhat irrelevant whether Android caches less data locally on the device in a more secure format if they are keeping a record of everything at "headquarters".
From the logic of many of you, if you save a document on a computer (Dell, Apple whatever) than the company is "tracking" you. Wake up.
The lack of insight prevalent in the typical PC user response demonstrated on this site makes me think I'd be better off an iSheep than a pcStoop.
What interests me is how all this identity information could possibly be used to be of benefit to us (ie. tell us about ourselves) rather than just be used to feed someone else's corporate or political agenda.
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Guest Said:
From the logic of many of you, if you save a document on a computer (Dell, Apple whatever) than the company is "tracking" you. Wake up.
Not sure how you came up with this conclusion; but it does reflect one thing, obviously which is evidently lacking here.
What interests me is how all this identity information could possibly be used to be of benefit to us (ie. tell us about ourselves) rather than just be used to feed someone else's corporate or political agenda.To some extent your argument holds value, where this argument lacks depth is, corporations don't just stop at this, they want to have a bigger share of the pie, now if you can understand this then may be, just may be you will be able to understand why just 1% of the population have greater wealth than rest of the folks put together. I find it astounding that people believe technology companies somehow (especially when they are in a ditch) doesn't deciet people, the simple fact is, they are simply out there to make money like all other corporations, so 'ethics' may be a buzzword which they try to drumbeat every now and then but that is that, period.
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Guest said:
From the logic of many of you, if you save a document on a computer (Dell, Apple whatever) than the company is "tracking" you. Wake up.
Are you SURE you aren't already an iSheep? Because that is exactly the kind of nonsensical logic that you often hear from that camp, trying to come to Apple's defense.
Storing of location information regarding a person's whereabouts (based on tower and wi-fi connections) without their express knowledge is definitely a form of tracking, whether the intent was benign or not. Saving a document that has absolutely no correlation or pertinent data about where you are at the time you store it... Well, that's just saving a file. Not sure how you even remotely connected those 2 actions with any kind of relevant logic.
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Most of the people are only reading the headline and then giving an kneejerk response. The headline claims Jobs said iOS doesn't track you. In reality (later in the article) we see the quote where Jobs says "we don't track anyone", meaning Apple isn't receiving this information. Maybe they are and Jobs is wrong, maybe AT&T and Verizon get the information but Apple doesn't.. His comment in response to Droid is that Google is getting the tracking information from the phones. So he's trying to make a distinction that the company Apple is not getting the tracking information from their phones, but Google is getting the information from Droid phones.
Edit: Apple is getting the data, but its not tracking your phone, just hotspots and cell towers. Further reading here: [link]
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This is the same person who told everyone they're holding the phone "wrong".
Seriously, how is anything else coming out of that man's mouth/iPhone supposed to be credible?
This is the same person who went to the frigging Supreme Court of the USA in order to stop people from jailbreaking their phones.
They obtained a patent in order to SPECIFICALLY store your location history and sell that data to third parties.
Nah, that's all just FUD.
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Ok, communication towers are capable of this, but they donīt store into a DB!! why IOS does?
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I'd agree with you, SNGX1275, but the bottom line is, Steve Jobs answered the question with the answer to a different question. The question was specifically regarding the iPhone passive location tracking. Not whether Apple was tracking them, but why the necessity for the iPhone to be storing location data. Mr. Jobs may have been trying to say that Apple doesn't use the information, but that (again), was not the point. The point was that people don't like having that information accumulating without their express consent or even knowledge, let alone in an unencrypted file just sitting in their phone. He was asked why the phone tracks locations, and responded with "we don't" and then pointing ominously at Google. Which means that technically, he either dodged the question, or really thought it was some kind of perpetrated lie about iOS collecting data. Regardless of which it was, as the public figurehead of a big company in the international spotlight, you should probably be very careful and specific in how you respond to things. Think it through, then respond clearly and concisely.
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Inter-dependence, Causality and Impermanence.
If us pcStoops are interested in going beyond superficial temporal conceptualizations that merely kill time and reinforce our delusional sense of self - a self that is slowly and inevitably crumbling back to it's constituent elements taking with it all it's hard fought "us and themisms" and all it's other phantom-like mortal short-sighted imaginings.
Then we will need to contemplate Inter-dependence, Causality and Impermanence. Deeply and often.
Otherwise, this discussion is no more relevant to truth than taking part in a grade C movie.
It is like searching for the light without any eyes. Toothless egoistic bantering.
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Inter-dependence, Causality and Impermanence.Oh goody.....the ghost of Nietzsche is back! He's gonna talk-build the bridge to the "Uber-hole"....!
If us pcStoops are interested in going beyond superficial temporal conceptualizations that merely kill time and reinforce our delusional sense of self - a self that is slowly and inevitably crumbling back to it's constituent elements taking with it all it's hard fought "us and themisms" and all it's other phantom-like mortal short-sighted imaginings.
Then we will need to contemplate Inter-dependence, Causality and Impermanence. Deeply and often.
Otherwise, this discussion is no more relevant to truth than taking part in a grade C movie.
It is like searching for the light without any eyes. Toothless egoistic bantering.
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captaincranky said:
Oh goody.....the ghost of Nietzsche is back! He's gonna talk-build the bridge to the "Uber-hole"....!
+1
I was vacillating between typing a reply, and drinking a shot of hemlock.
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I was vacillating between typing a reply, and drinking a shot of hemlock.I've had a few of those, "oh death, where is thy sting moments" myself over the years.......
Since we don't have actual, "comedy and tragedy" emoticons, I hope those will do under the circumstances.....
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Thankfully the southern baptists straightened us all out. God created the world 10000 years ago to hate Apple. If there had been no Apple, there could have been no fall from grace.
It's a good thing we don't have to be educated to use the Internet. Otherwise there would be no TECHSPOT.
Causality at its best.
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Guest said:
Thankfully the southern baptists straightened us all out. God created the world 10000 years ago to hate Apple. If there had been no Apple, there could have been no fall from grace.
It's a good thing we don't have to be educated to use the Internet. Otherwise there would be no TECHSPOT.
Causality at its best.
I'm having a hard time figuring you out Guest. Sometimes you say really interesting things, sometimes you seem to have the intelligence of an amoeba. Its like there are hundreds of personalities battling for supremacy in your brain, each trying to get a different message across.
You're like the Scarlet Pimpernel of the internet, one day a Linux geek, another day a 12 year old Xbox fanboy, another day someone who was up all night studying philosophy, furiously typing away as the Adderall leaves your system.
You're like a forum wild card sent by God to keep the boards from being dull, an everyman that reminds us that even the huddled masses can have an opinion, sometimes a very profound one, that us morons can't even grasp.
I salute you Guest, keep on truckin'.
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Guest said:
It's a good thing we don't have to be educated to use the Internet.
Isn't it just
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Thankfully the southern baptists straightened us all out. God created the world 10000 years ago to hate Apple. If there had been no Apple, there could have been no fall from grace.Actually, I think God was warning Adam and Eve about the extreme discomfort that apples can cause to a hemorrhoid sufferers. I'd think they should have thanked him for the "heads up, (so to speak).
As soon as you mentioned "Southern Baptists", I imagined a sudden inrush of air into your ears as your mouth opened. The bottom line is too much internet doesn't necessarily make you stupid. Unfortunately, too much religion absolutely does.
It's a good thing we don't have to be educated to use the Internet. Otherwise there would be no TECHSPOT.With that said, I suppose we should be tremendously grateful that you've condescended to post here. I think you should have not bothered, since you're so obviously shirking the responsibility that is manifestly incumbent upon you. That would be to go out and lobby for creationism to be taught in our school system.Causality at its best.
In the mean time, try and wrap your "brain" around this; the internet in and of itself, is intelligence neutral. That coalesces quite nicely with the overarching concept that, "stupid is, as stupid does".
With that said, thanks for stopping by.
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What a douche. I hope this back-fires at him since its totally unacceptable ! I also love how the article states that the droid devices regularly wipe that data out, and the apple one's even copy it with a migration or a sync, ouch
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To top it off, they are now saying that it is a 'bug' and they will soon fix it.
Apple also admits the location recording continues to work even if you turn off Location Services and that the iPhone will have stored your location history ever since you bought your phone. According to the Q&A, both things are newly discovered bugs and will be 'fixed' with the next software update. It will disable backing up the location database to your computer, and your iPhone will log your location for only about a week back in time. You will be able to turn the feature off altogether by disabling Location Services.
Besides this location data, Apple also collects anonymous traffic data to provide “iPhone users an improved traffic service in the next couple of years”.
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http://read.bi/moeSS0
Agree or disagree, this is what Steve is talking about.
"the internet in and of itself, is intelligence neutral" -cranky
Highly debatable due to its reliance upon the human mind.
Furthermore, high language does not have any necessary relationship to insight whatsoever.
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ALL cell companies track and store your location using triangulation. It is the "law" as it was written in the Tele Communications Act of 1996. By 2001 they were all doing it, plus some extra stuff that you should read for yourself.
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http://read.bi/moeSS0OK, I'm going to take a pass on you issuing me reading assignments.Agree or disagree, this is what Steve is talking about.I alway love it when the guest "e-peeners", are on a first name basis with Mr. Jobs. Have you been friends for long?"the internet in and of itself, is intelligence neutral" -cranky.
Highly debatable due to its reliance upon the human mind
I'm certain that every thing is "highly debatable" with you. Your first post was troll bait, as certainly as is this one. The human mind can certainly be effected by inanimate objects, but that does not change their inanimate state. What you failed to take into account, was my statement that, "stupid is as stupid does". So, if driving your car, having a super-duper computer, or posting some crap half baked opinion that, "the internet makes you stupid", elevates your sense of self worth, then you are at once an example of, and a tragic victim to your own device.
Furthermore, high language does not have any necessary relationship to insight whatsoever.I suppose the next thing you're going to try and tell me, is that being an inarticulate lout does indicate insight.
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