Apple Logging Locations of All iPhone Users

An anonymous reader writes "The Guardian reports that researchers have found a hidden file on all iPhones, iPads and any computers to which they synchronize, logging timestamped latitude and longitude coordinates of the user since June 2010. A tool is available on their website to check on your own."

Comments

Can we start using examples other than Divorce?

[hellfire]

Okay I'm all for explaining why this is bad, but why the fuck do we insist as a group using the example of a private eye tracking down a cheating spouse for the purpose of divorce as a reason to take privacy concerns seriously? The average citizen is going to be like "Oh well I don't have to worry about that, I have nothing to hide from my spouse!" even if they are lying to themselves. The political and social leadership will be like "well then don't cheat and you'll be fine!"

WORST... EXAMPLE...EVAR...

Here's some better examples for this specific situation:
1) A burglar determining a pattern when you aren't home so they can rob your house.
2) A stalker determining the best place to attack you
3) Someone who doesn't like you smearing your character publicly simply because your phone walked by a strip club (he must have gone in, he's a sinner!!!), even though 2 blocks away is the hospice you volunteer once a week at.

Let's try to come up with better examples that make people actually care please?

Re:Can we start using examples other than Divorce?

[vlm]

Visiting the hiring interview room at a competitor on your day off, with your company issued must-carry phone? This could get really weird...
Insurance company requiring tracking data to prove you don't go to fast food joints or tobacco shops, and you do visit the gym regularly?
Police / employers harassing you when they download your coordinates and find out you're volunteering at the "wrong" political election office or you attend the "wrong" church? (Or more likely, at least in the backwards USA, the wrongness would be defined as not attending church at all?)
Company wants a record of exactly where your phone went on your "sick" day. God help you if you left the house to visit doctor or pharmacy, because thats not "staying home and resting".

Every day I'm happier I have an ipod touch to do i-stuff with, and a plain ole VM pay as you go phone for that old fashioned "telephone call" functionality. The coolest part is when I drain the ipod battery from screwing around with music / videos / games, I can still do the important stuff like make and receive phone calls. I know people whom absolutely squeal when angry birds fly off with their battery charge and then they can't talk on the phone or text for a couple hours. Lately I've been facetiming thru open wifis instead of making phone calls on my old fashioned cellphone, if everyone I knew did facetime, I'd probably ditch the phone entirely.

Re:ummm

[duguk]

No surprise here. I posted about this ages ago, but everyone argued that I was talking out of my arse by a whole load of iPhone users.

We knew Apple were doing this nearly a year ago

Next, they'll be sharing it with their 'partners', and using it for direct advertising. You've already agreed to it in the terms.

Re:ummm

[Cali Thalen]

Reference yesterday's story...

http://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/04/19/2231240/Michigan-Police-Could-Search-Cell-Phones-During-Traffic-Stops

I wonder if this location data would be part of what could be extracted there...