“Less than a day after a pair of security researchers revealed that the Apple iPhone and iPad 3G record the device’s location history, Senator Al Franken, D-Minn., fired off a letter to Apple CEO Steve Jobs demanding that the company explain why,” Ki Mae Heussner reports for ABC News.
MacDailyNews Take: Nothing new was revealed yesterday. More info: Expert: iPhone tracking story is nothing new and Apple is not collecting the data
Heussner reports, “‘The existence of this information — stored in an unencrypted format — raises serious privacy concerns,’ Franken wrote in his letter to Jobs. ‘Anyone who gains access to this single file could likely determine the location of the user’s home, the businesses he frequents, the doctors he visits, the schools his children attend, and the trips he has taken — over the past months, or even a year.'”
“Franken concluded with a list of nine questions he wants Apple to answer, including explanations of why the company is gathering the data, why is it not encrypted, why Apple consumers were never explicitly informed of the data collection and to whom (including Apple) has the data been disclosed,” Heussner reports.
Read more in the full article here.
Related articles:
Expert: iPhone tracking story is nothing new and Apple is not collecting the data – April 21, 2011
‘untrackerd’ jailbreak utility blocks iOS from storing recorded iPhone location data – April 21, 2011
Apple’s iPhone tracks everywhere you go; stores the info in secret file on the device – April 20, 2011
Al Franken: Big corporations are ‘hoping to destroy’ the Internet – March 16, 2011
Yeah, but, more importantly, what did U.S. Senator Daffy Duck have to say?
The orange boner wasn’t available for comment. He was in the bathroom stall crying.
Al is a tool!
Why? Don’t you want to know the answers to these questions?
Why is it any of their business?
@ SlyBriFry: because he is representing his constinuents who want to know. Set your partisanship aside for a millisecond and let Franken do his job.
Even though I don’t live in Franken’s district, I sure want to know what the hell Apple is doing pulling a MS-type blunder like this. Why would anyone trust a company that doesn’t at the very least disclose to its customer what it’s doing? IMHO, user should have complete control over any data recording of any kind.
Yes it is you idiot! As well as it is your business unless of course your a mindless sheep!
Franken, like most liberals, know what’s best for the rest of us.
LOL. Image of Stuart Smalley[sp?] Angrily demanding anything is funny.
Al Franken was much better on Saturday Night Live.
Franken was never any good on SNL which is why he is now a second rate politician.
Lousy comedian and a grandstanding and shallow politician.
Has MDN sent “thank you’s” to Sen. Franken. This sort of story is like manna from heaven for Mr. Jack.
I’m one of the biggest aapl fans there is, but they need to explain this and fix this. I know that the data is not transmitted to anyone, but just the fact that they are capturing this data and then storing it unencrypted as the default in the backups so that any app can access it is wrong. The biggest wrong is having them do this without my permission or telling anyone that the software is doing this.
I downloaded the tracking app and ran it and it was frankly very eerie how EVERWHERE I have been for the last 1 1/2 years was displayed.
They, in fact (I use that word way too much) did ask your permission right before you updated to ios4 (or when you activated your iphone).
you checked the box and agreed (unless you did some jailbreak trick to get around the EULA)
I just checked the EULA. Where in the EULA does it say that the device would keep a record of all location data and then store it permanently on my device, transfer it to all backups and then transfer it to other devices?
What app did you download to do this?
Here is the link for the iPhone tracker app:
http://petewarden.github.com/iPhoneTracker/
I did and found that the file holds worthless location info. Locations of cell towers you used. Not you home or work.
Agreed. Regardless of the political swill in this thread, this is an example of the type of personal information that ought not to be retained on an IOS device under any circumstance.
This has been explained and it is weird Al and the rather unscrupulous pair of “security researchers” that are not bothering the do any research before speaking and are twisting the truth by not providing the whole picture.
There goes Al Frankenstein getting involved! I’m sure apple has a good explanation with this issue.
But just to think, the absurdity of putting a stupid comedian in the government. I mean, really! What were the voters thinking?….
Why not put a comedian in…. we’ve consistently put crooks in office…… 🙂
“the absurdity of putting a stupid comedian in the government”
Two words: Ronald Reagan.
“Do you want me to tuck you in, Bonzo?”
You mean like Sonny Bono, Fred Grandy (Gopher) and John Kyl??
And let’s not forget “Cooter” from the original Dukes of Hazzard.
Arnold
>But just to think, the absurdity of putting a stupid comedian in the government. I mean, really! What were the voters thinking?….
Same can be said for George Bush, Jr. GWB was pretty funny in the humor dept, but a terrible, ill-advised leader. He definitely missed his calling in life.
He’s not a lawyer and that is good.
… thinking they should take a chance and hope the NEW comedian would be less of a crook than the last one they elected. Franken has a decent record for honesty, for intelligence, and for representing his constituents. None of which could be said of the previous holder of that seat.
Please support Mr. Franken, otherwise he’ll sob like Glenn Beck. Dear Mr. Jesse Ventura, all is forgiven, we miss you.
he’s not good enough, he’s not smart enough and dog-gone it … people hate him
Alex Levinson’s blog sets the record straight on what’s going on and why.
Doesn’t anyone watch TV. On crime shows cell phone always contain everything you said, did, or visited. The best ones even know what color shirt you wore.
Apple is NOT collecting the data. You, the iPhone owner are collecting the data.
When we have the choice to turn it off or on, THEN we are collecting the data. Until we have a choice, Apple is collecting the data. They may not be storing the data or even using it for anything in particular, but they are the ones collecting until they give us a choice.
Turn it off is the settings
Self-aggrandized asswipes…as if ANYONE cares where you, or anyone else, has been! Cracks me up how A) people have these “secret” lives and B) they somehow think that anyone cares! Puhleese! Get used to being followed To your pot dispensary Mr. Franken…cuz it’s Only gonna get worse!
what do you expect out of these MN voters? they’re the nut cases who vote in Al Frankenstein, Jesse Ventura, and Obama
Let’s not forget Michele Bachmann.
Only a certain area of MN is responsible for voting Michelle Bachman in. It makes me sick that she is associated with my state!
My condolences for your neighbors stupidity. On the other, maybe they wanted her out of the state thinking that, with her out of MN and in the current Tea Party set, it would rise the average IQ in both places.
Kiss my Minnesota ass idiot!
Al “demands” answers! I’m sure AAPL is working diligently to meet the “demands” of a Senator known for his wisdom and concerns for the public welfare. Scratch that – I have confused the august Senator with someone else.
Unreal, If this were Microsoft, or an Android phone, MDN and most the people posting would be crucifying them
+1
As usual, some here will ignore the real issue and instead take the opportunity to start bashing democrats. This is not a political issue, and people outside of politics are concerned. Grow up and focus!
everyone, including the idiot Frankenstein, should read John Gruber’s take on this. It makes perfect sense.
This is just another media event.
I personally would rather hear Apple straighten things out than have a blogger who specializes in forensics do it for them.
I personally enjoy privacy and want to know how this helps the consumer. I don’t see how this is the only way to do things, and wonder if a workaround ON APPLE’S PART can be made to give us the same functionality (whatever that is) without having an extensive database of where I’ve been.
For those that don’t like Al Franken… I don’t really give a sh*t. lol. Who cares what mouth it came from when it seems like a good question to be made.
No….no it doesn’t!
Are you really that brainwashed to believe that Apple….APPLE…was that absent minded that they didn’t know what they were doing?
OOOOO scary a US SENATOR DEMANDS TO KNOW EVERYTHING. When will they nind their own business and just go back to what theyre good at, financially ruining lives of americans who work hard for their money
Not sure what all the fuss is about. I looked atone and it was way off. All it did was identify cell towers I hsvve been near. There ar placed I have been that were not on the file. People scream about this and then go post everything you ever wanted to know about them on facebook. Unreal
Recently overheard in Franken’s office:
“Hey Al, I got Chuck Schumer on the line. He’s a little pissed that you’re cutting in on his schtick.”
At first you get the impression that it is 1984 and Big Brother is watching. THen you realize that most smart phones do it and so what…I was near cell phone tower XYZ at 4:40PM last saturday.
Big whoop….my wife wouldn’t even KNOW that tower is near where my girlfriend lives.
the fact that a politico who doesn’t seem tech qualified poses questions before experts (besides the original guy who discovered it) or Apple has made any kind of comment (now we hear from some that it might be oversight in the software for geo tagging photos etc) shows that he’s just a publicity hound. Can’t he wait a few hours?
No, because he is a idiot, elected by idiotic half of Minnesota.
Get a grip people, let’s review:
1. The file is secure on your phone, it is not transmitted to anyone. The only way to access the file is to get into the backup itunes made on your computer.
2. All the things listed above MOST have on their Facebook pages anyway. Places anyone?
3. The NSA can track you already from your cell phone, they can even remotely activate the mic and eavesdrop on you.
4. The data is used by maps and tagging photos, this is a non issue.
“remotely activate the mic” – BULLSHIT! But that would be totally awesome!
This looks like Maps app cache file, not GPS tracking, idiots
People, all cell phones can be tracked. Police have been using this information for years. Anytime you make a call, the cell tower records it. Even when not on a call, when you change towers, you can be tracked. This is not an issue only for Apple.