Apple Big Brother

[Will E Worm]

Apple iPhone tracks users' location in hidden file

Apple iPhone users’ movements are being tracked and stored without their knowledge in a file that could easily be accessed by a snooping employer or jealous spouse, security researchers have found.

The continually-updated log is held on both the iPhone and the computer it connects to and contains a list of coordinates, and associated timestamps. The records go back to the release of the fourth iteration of the iOS operating system in June last year.

Article

Looks like a lawsuit.

Is Apple owned or working with Fema and Homeland Security? :nono:

 

[StanScratch]

Nope. It is simply a greedy, incompetent bunch of corporate suits who probably had an idea for an application that would have used the data, but were too incompetent to properly implement it into the phone - most likely because the programming of said application went to the lowest bidder.
Fortunately with the Republicans again taking power, data collection such as this by corporations is becoming highly acceptable and unmonitored.

 

[Supafly]

Everybody who still buys those iPhones, iPads, etc is plain stupid.

1st: The FoxConn Suicides scandal

2nd: The FoxConn Anti-Suicide Contract

3rd: So now pretty much evry Apple Mobile User has pulled down his pants and is subject to a complete personal user profile, where, when, what you do

Welcome to buying in to your personal 1984 scenario. Do you feel cool, still?

 

[Rey C.]

Everybody who still buys those iPhones, iPads, etc is plain stupid.

Howdy. :hatsoff:

Signed,

Mr. Plain Stupid





BTW, Android devices, and any others that have location based services, also have this. I don't know anything about Android or Win7 phones, but on iDevices, you can turn off this feature in user preferences.

 

[itsflying]

Here is an interesting article written by the guy that actually found this tidbit last year that discusses the facts behind what seems to be fearmongering in the news.

BTW, I don't own an ipod/ipad/macbook, etc... I'm a Droid X user but I hate it when the news sensationalizes something like this.

 

[Facetious]

I'ma tellin ya, the secret mandatory subcutaneous micro chips and/or mandatory retinal eye scanners can't be far off! Is your newborn baby microchipped?. . . hmmmm?!








worst thing is that they think I'm kiddin! :surprise:

:1orglaugh not!

 

[knowone]

Howdy. :hatsoff:
Signed,
Mr. Plain Stupid


BTW, Android devices, and any others that have location based services, also have this. I don't know anything about Android or Win7 phones, but on iDevices, you can turn off this feature in user preferences.

You just think you can turn that feature off!

 

[TheOrangeCat]

You just think you can turn that feature off!

What he said. Read the fucking manual. It helps ward off the :tinhat: effect.

 

[Rey C.]

CNET: What the app privacy investigation means to you

How can I keep apps from getting at my information?

On iOS devices:
Applications that want to make use of your location are required to first get your approval. This comes as a pop-up notification the first time the application asks. If you do not want an app to have your location, you can deny this message. Apple's iOS also keeps track of each time the location is being used with an arrow in the device's status bar at the top of the screen.
As for other types of data, that's where some of the controversy lies. The majority of app makers put third-party tracking tools as part of the underlying code of their application, meaning there's no on-off switch. One solution that users have come up with is jailbreaking their device to get low-level system access, then installing programs that can provide a system-wide block for third-party trackers.

For those with a jailbroken iOS device, there's PrivaCy, a free settings option that includes toggles to turn on and off the anonymous usage statistics sent to companies like Flurry, Medialets, Mobclix and Pinch Media. This gives users a granular control over which of these networks apps can talk to.

For Android users:
Unlike on iOS, there's no app that lets you turn particular data collectors on or off across all apps. However there's a $2 app called Privacy Blocker that can go through your applications and find which are transmitting certain kinds of data. The program is then able to let users toggle, or make edits to those bits of information, such as changing a listed phone number or name fields. The next time that application checks in, it will be transmitting the data the users has come up with.

For BlackBerry users:
The BlackBerry Analytics service, which some application makers use to collect anonymous usage data, can be opted out of. This must be done on an application by application basis. Instructions for how to turn it off can be found on the BlackBerry support forums, linked here.