Two researchers said they have uncovered a hidden file on Apple Inc. iPhones that keeps a record of where the phone has been and when it was there—a database that is unencrypted and stored by default.
The security experts, Alasdair Allan and Pete Warden, also created a program that lets iPhone owners see what the device has stored about their whereabouts. The maps produced by the program show details stretching back months.
It's not clear why the data are stored on the devices. There's no evidence the information is transferred to Apple. The company didn't respond to a request for comment.
Last edited by thedude on Fri Apr 22, 2011 6:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"I do not think baseball of today is any better than it was 30 years ago... I still think Radbourne is the greatest of the pitchers." John Sullivan 1914-Old athletes never change.
I don't know, I just kind of assumed that a phone with GPS and the internet would be able to do that. Doesn't the police have the ability to use cell phones to locate? Or is that just something I saw in a movie.
Well I guess the difference, in some people's mind, is that it is one thing to know that your phone could be used to find you location at this very moment, if someone actually bothered to look. It is another to known that your phone records everywhere you have been, stores it, and then transmits it to a third party.
By analogy, it is one thing to know that the government government or apple could listen my phone conversations, but probably isn't. It is another thing to learn that apple records every phone call I make and then stores it in a central data bank somewhere.
"I do not think baseball of today is any better than it was 30 years ago... I still think Radbourne is the greatest of the pitchers." John Sullivan 1914-Old athletes never change.
thedude wrote:Well I guess the difference, in some people's mind, is that it is one thing to know that your phone could be used to find you location at this very moment, if someone actually bothered to look. It is another to known that your phone records everywhere you have been, stores it, and then transmits it to a third party.
By analogy, it is one thing to know that the government government or apple could listen my phone conversations, but probably isn't. It is another thing to learn that apple records every phone call I make and then stores it in a central data bank somewhere.
The blurb you posted specifically says there's no indication the data is transmitted to Apple. It's stored on the phone, and it's stored on the computer you sync the device with it. I'm not saying it's okay that it does that (though I'm not really surprised either), but let's not start making stuff up.
teddy ballgame wrote: I'm not saying it's okay that it does that (though I'm not really surprised either)
yeah let the record show I'm not ok with it either, but I'm not surprised. I have an Incredible which is a Google phone, and I guaran damn tee it's tracking my website usage and app downloading and how long it takes me to get three stars on every Angry Birds level and whatever else I use it for. It's where we are now.
thedude wrote:Well I guess the difference, in some people's mind, is that it is one thing to know that your phone could be used to find you location at this very moment, if someone actually bothered to look. It is another to known that your phone records everywhere you have been, stores it, and then transmits it to a third party.
By analogy, it is one thing to know that the government government or apple could listen my phone conversations, but probably isn't. It is another thing to learn that apple records every phone call I make and then stores it in a central data bank somewhere.
The blurb you posted specifically says there's no indication the data is transmitted to Apple. It's stored on the phone, and it's stored on the computer you sync the device with it. I'm not saying it's okay that it does that (though I'm not really surprised either), but let's not start making stuff up.
The purpose of this log is completely unknown. The researchers say that the data does not appear to be transmitted to a third party, at least not yet. They suggest that it could be a forthcoming feature from Apple, perhaps tied to their iAd software. As we’ve seen before, advertisers are keen to get location data, and Apple may be trying to better target the ads delivered to the phone. The researchers also point out that the geolocation information is not actually GPS data.
http://www.geekosystem.com/iphone-tracking/ While iphone is (apparently) not yet transmitting the data, the people who revealed that it is storing data in the first place think it is possible that could be in the near future.
"I do not think baseball of today is any better than it was 30 years ago... I still think Radbourne is the greatest of the pitchers." John Sullivan 1914-Old athletes never change.
Cafe Home
Fantasy Football
Fantasy Basketball
Fantasy Hockey
by thedude » Wed Apr 20, 2011 8:25 pm 
