US Lawmakers Take Aim at Apple over iPhone Location Tracking

[Michael Essany]

If you've been hanging around MMi the last few days, you're probably familiar with the rampant talk surrounding the recently publicized discovery that Apple keeps close, secretive tabs on where you and your iPhone go. As my colleague Phillip Swanson dished yesterday, security researchers have discovered the iPhone maintains a location log that includes longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates as well as a timestamp. Each time the iPhone is synced to the computer a new log file is created.

Well, now US lawmakers have gotten wind of this discovery. Fresh from their skirmish with Apple over in-app purchases and the phenomenon of children unwittingly purchasing a gazilion-dollars worth of stuff via mommy and daddy's iPhone, several high-profile US senators are calling attention to Apple's tracking bonanza (even though we agree to be tracked in the fine print of Apple's "terms and conditions" document).

On Thursday, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) went public with their effort to force Apple to address this report immediately. Franken, in particular, drafted a letter to Mr. Steve Jobs himself. "There are numerous ways in which this information could be abused by criminals and bad actors," Franken stated in the letter. "Furthermore, there is no indication that this file is any different for underage iPhone or iPad users, meaning that the millions of children and teenagers who use iPhone or iPad devices also risk having their location collected and compromised."

Franken also dashed-off a litany of questions pushing Apple to answer why its collects the data in the first place and how it's ultimately used. Franken is even wondering if other Apple devices - like laptops - similarly acquire and report user location and usage information. It's a good question. And soon enough, Apple may respond with the answers we're all waiting for.

Source: C-Span, The Hill

[jcasas392]

Burn apple, burn.

[iliveudie]

Take that Apple. Take that!!!

[hancoma]

Minority report, 1984, Orwell, Skynet, etc...you're already in the machine, there is no escape...

[unison999]

hahaha I love this!!!
"Terms and Conditions" do not get Apple off the hook, I am sure a suit is in the works against Apple for this.

[coolguy742]

Ha it would be great if Apple got in trouble for this, but the thing is that Apple will win this suit simply because it's in their TOS that we all agree to.

[trigun989]

in the next 20 years apple will be as powerfull as skynet

[Paco]

wow

[iliveudie]

Ha it would be great if Apple got in trouble for this, but the thing is that Apple will win this suit simply because it's in their TOS that we all agree to.

Like it's been said before...TOS doesn't get them off the hook...if they hid "by clicking accept you owe Apple your kids" within their TOS, it is not what you would call 'lawful'.

[grimball]

hahaha I love this!!!
"Terms and Conditions" do not get Apple off the hook, I am sure a suit is in the works against Apple for this.

I want my piece of the (Apple)pie!

[csglinux]

Here's the quote from The Wall Street Journal:

Apple gathers the data to help build a "database with known location information," the letter says. "This information is batched and then encrypted and transmitted to Apple over a Wi-Fi Internet connection every twelve hours (or later if the device does not have Wi-Fi Internet access at that time)," the company wrote in the July letter to Congress.

All those bad boys out there that have been "stealing" from AT&T by tethering to their bluetooth headsets without a paid tethering plan - they know where you are and what color underwear you were wearing at the time.

[iliveudie]

Here's the quote from The Wall Street Journal:

Apple gathers the data to help build a "database with known location information," the letter says. "This information is batched and then encrypted and transmitted to Apple over a Wi-Fi Internet connection every twelve hours (or later if the device does not have Wi-Fi Internet access at that time)," the company wrote in the July letter to Congress.

All those bad boys out there that have been "stealing" from AT&T by tethering to their bluetooth headsets without a paid tethering plan - they know where you are and what color underwear you were wearing at the time.

Wow!!! This is really creepy...

[robbpell]

Apple could always argue there is a legal way to disable it!
'untrackerd' Cydia Tweak stops iOS Location Data Storing

[Amraam]

This is a "toffee Apple" moment.

...because they're in a sticky situation...

haha

[Browning151]

Apple could always argue there is a legal way to disable it!
'untrackerd' Cydia Tweak stops iOS Location Data Storing

lol, Apple argue in favor of using a jailbreak app to circumvent something they've built into iOS? No way.

[TheDirtyDiddler]

This is a "toffee Apple" moment.

...because they're in a sticky situation...

haha

More like a rotten Apple. Meeeehhhhhhh

[robbpell]

lol, Apple argue in favor of using a jailbreak app to circumvent something they've built into iOS? No way.

oo the irony lol

[steve-z17]

Lol, I love how everyone is against Apple on this. I understand the issue, but had nothing ever been found and brought up with this we'd continue living life as normal. If something actually does happen from these logs then there is a problem, but for now Apple has it in their Terms and Conditions, and nothing bad has happened because of it. Everyone's so quick to bounce on Apple when they think they've done something wrong....lame.

[MetallicaFan1991]

Does anyone really care if Apple keep track of your iPhone locations?

It could be useful but its Apple, not some unknown company.

[chakraj]

Yes, I do not want my phone tracking my every move. I have rights as a human being and I do not agree to allow my rights to be given away.

Our ancestors fought so we could be free, and we now just dont care anymore,we just give it away a little at a time. Then when its gone we will all say, where did our freedom go.


PS. Where did our freedom go?