In a brief note, Karen Gullo reports for Bloomberg that Apple Inc. has just been “sued for alleged privacy invasion and computer fraud by two customers who claim the company is secretly recording and storing the location and movement of iPhone and iPad users, according to a federal complaint filed today in Tampa, Florida.”
Earlier today, Apple CEO Steve Jobs reportedly told an iPhone users via email, “We don’t track anyone. The info circulating around is false.”
Related articles:
Steve Jobs on iOS location tracking: We don’t track anyone, but Droid does – April 25, 2011
Apple iPhone collects location info even when location services are turned off by user – April 25, 2011
Android phones regularly transmit location data to Google ‘at least several times an hour’ – April 22, 2011
House Democrat questions legality of Apple’s iPhone, iPad location tracking – April 21, 2011
Apple’s iOS location tracking file caused by a bit of unfinished code? – April 21, 2011
U.S. Senator Al Franken demands answers from Apple’s Steve Jobs over iPhone tracking – April 21, 2011
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
Waiting for a similar lawsuit to be leveled against Google re: Android…
It is not that cool to sue Google.
By the way, I am the only one who thinks that the whole thing is getting blown to ridiculously epic proportions, similar to “antenna-gate” from last year?
no, you are definitely not the only one.
youre not the only one, I too believe this is growing out of proportion exactly like the anntenegate issues.
I completely agree with you – this has the same level of press-driven hysteria that the Antennagate nontroversy had. And its timing is particularly suspicious, especially given that it’s regurgitating information that experts in the field already knew and had published books about last year.
I eagerly await the same kind of epic hysteria surrounding “new” discoveries that GMail doesn’t actually delete any of your emails – Google feels free to hold onto them forever. “What? What are they keeping them for? This is a breach of my privacy!”
Oh wait, that’s right – Apple is expected to obey rules that nobody else has to follow. Silly me!
No, you are on point; this is BS and absolute FUD. Google, on the other hand is collecting AND selling…
No you’re not. What’s happened is someone from the MS-dominated media took an item mentioned by someone and blew it all out of proportion, and this piece of crap article has been picked up by everybody and his brother simply because it’s dirt on Apple. We all know how the press loves to find dirt on Apple and broadcast it from the rooftops. Then HuffPo, the NYT, WSJ and NBC News gets hold of it and they add their own 2¢ to it, often calling in one of their “consultants” (Think Rob Enderly) to validate whatever claim they’re making.
Then the lawyers get into the act thinking that they can get a few easy mil out of a class action suit.
Wait and see: Soon Paul Allen and his patent troll law firm is going to claim that the way Apple is collecting these data violates some patent filed in Mesopotamia a few thousand years ago.
No one does any research. If they did, they’d find that it was a non-story as the issue had been brought up a year ago and supposedly laid to rest in a satisfactory manner.
No one even questions whether Android crap is doing the same thing.
Another frivolous maybe I can get rich lawsuit…
Another way to cripple AAPL after stellar earnings…
“…Another way to cripple AAPL…”
Not this time, the hedge funds all covered and went long AAPL a week ago. They’ll be defending the stock for a while.
Somebody jumped the gun . . . .
There’s a plaintiff’s attorney who was just waiting for something to come out about Apple so he could file a lawsuit. There’s no way you could work that fast and get a lawsuit filed unless you had some disgruntled Apple users lined up ready to be plaintiffs for your firm.
…and they’ll all have egg on their face for being so ignorant.
Tea party oats.
Dammit Breeze can just one tread make it through the day without American politics being hauled out like so much dirty laundry? I can just sense the entire planets collective cringe as the say, ‘Oh f*^k here we go again!’ It’s becoming really embarrassing these days. Sorry.
Anyway… Go Apple!
Until education, fact , dignity and level headed thought return to this country, this is the idiocracy that will bring down every good person company and country and reduce us to that level of mob mentality and medieval existence.
I am a strong proponent for “education, fact , dignity and level headed thought.” I’m still waiting for those characteristics to manifest themselves in the media and politics.
AWOL EVERYWHERE
Umm, you’re looking in the wrong places, then.
And you REALLY don’t want to go looking for ’em in religion, either.
Education, fact , dignity and level headed thought are not in the self interests of ANY politician.
Politicians of ALL stripes feed on Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt.
The Tea Party endorses reduced government spending, opposition to taxation in varying degrees, reduction of the national debt and federal budget deficit, and adherence to an originalist interpretation of the United States Constitution.
In other words, too much common sense for leftist liberals/progressives who want to create a bloated, inefficient, centralized nanny state that fails to satisfy everyone.
Don’t let that stop you from making no sense.
So we’re back to what Breeze said. It just so happens that we need taxes to pay for public education, police and fire departments, public utilities, etc. What’s happening, and what you clearly can’t see because your head’s firmly planted in the sand, that the top 1% need to pay their share, not just a few dollars pin money. OTOH, I also feel that families with a very limited income should stop having children – there needs to be a child tax, not a deduction.
But then there ae elements in our government who are quite happy reducing public support of public educations so the whole country will become less educated and more willing to follow like sheep.
One example can be found right here in MDM’s comments: Why do so many commenters improperly use an apostrophe when typing the word “its” when used as a possessive pronoun (as in “Apple and all its money…” The word “it’s” is a contraction for “it is.” Yet for some reason that simple lesson has escaped many of us here. I’m not perfect either and I’ve been known for some pretty bad spelling or grammatical mistakes; heck, there are probably a few in this post. But I try to learn.
OT! PoliTard time!
“The Tea Party endorses…”
Bullshite. If you check out HR1, their rendition of a government budget, you’ll find the Tea Party are the Tard Party, pulling the usual PoliTard tricks you’d expect from the Neo-Con-Job. Nothing new here. More puppets. More Corporate Oligarchy pulling the strings. More denigration of the USA. And as usual “There are none so blind as those who will not see.’ (0_o)
And for even more fun, check out the (R) Paul Ryan budget for 2012. It is a full blown perpetration of STARVE THE BEAST with minimal actual savings in the budget, minimal reductions in the ‘defense’ (Corporate Oligarchy War Machine) budget but maximal damage to social services. IOW it’s more ‘KILL THE POOR’ and ‘FEED THE RICH’. It is most likely the most deceitful and psychopathic budget proposal in US history. These are the sick frauds the PoliTards want to take over the entire government. If it comes true, enjoy chewing on your shoe leather for dinner. (0_o)
scary prospect for families with children who are heavily impacted by autism. The Tea Party is no friend to the disabled and downtrodden.
OK, I’m outta here again. The tea party endorses ignorance. Don’t blame democrats- blame ignoramuses. Even if you majored in and studied political science, you still need the objectivity and intelligence to know WTF is going on- Don’t You, Mr. Jones?…
Idiot Winds. Again.
After Apple win the case, it should demand plaintiff pay its court and attorney fee.
This country is so badly in need of tort reform it isn’t even funny. Fat chance, though, what with all the lawyers on both sides running Washington and the legal system.
Right on, Randian. It makes my blood boil to see those TV lawyer-leeches going after everybody that actually tries to DO something or CREATE something. TORT REFORM would help everything from upward spiraling medical costs to new car design
In a country with lawyers from I’ve-Never-Heard-of-U choking the job ranks, it’s no wonder the innovation we used to be known for is spiraling down the toilet.
I hope Apple countersues these a-holes so hard that their grandchildren are still paying it off when they retire, if the gods are so cruel as to allow them to reproduce.
When I see civil lawsuits of this kind, I always ask the same question: “What are their damages?” Unless there’s a specific law that provides statutory damages, I can’t see how these people can claim any form of puniary harm.
Sorry. “Pecuniary” harm.
“Puniary” harm is probably closer to the truth! 😆
What about “peccary” harm?
What about “orrery” harm?
You WOULD think of that, wouldn’t you, Ziffel! Get your damn mind out of the sty!
I can see it now…
but, but your honor, I was harmed because they were keeping log files.
Sigh
I guess Apple has to suffer scrutiny. They do appear to do no wrong and when something like this is mentioned people get hysterical about it.
Google nor Android get this kind of treatment because no one really cares. Viruses? Caught spying? Stealing other companies innovation? Crap products? Well, if you are Google, no one cares!
For a second I thought you were describing Microsoft. I guess Google is the new Microsoft – If you have no vision from within steal others.
I can see it now…
Two guys flip a coin to decide whether to buy lottery scratchers or sue Apple. The coin came up heads I guess.
I say we all sign up to be plantiffs in the case, then when we lose, we sue the attorney for failing to succeed, misrepresentation, blah blah blah. Seems like a self licking ice cream cone to me, might as well enjoy it.
How do you sue without any information/facts to back up your case?
You don’t! These guys are fried!
This is a trick question, right?
It’s America, don’t need no information or facts!
Its easy to sue without any facts, its called being American, its every Amuricans darned right to sue everyone and anyone for anything, with out without just case.
In Canada you need to prove without a doubt your case before the courts will even listen to you. And if the judge finds youre a quack or a money-digger, he or she ( we have women judges too here), WILL put you in your place for being a dope.
What irks me is that why can’t someone retaliate and sue back if they win an obvious case? You sued me for a bullshard case now pay up biatch!
Wait, maybe apple could sue for “potential or probable defamation”… that should be looked into.
What a time for this to come out, probably to make android/GOOFle look less evil.
ANOTHER Antennagate-like BS Story you hit-whores? Puhleeeease!
These people are obviously clueless OR they’re working for someone with a specific agenda… Hmmmm, g00gle anyone?
Why you give the time of day to those cretins at bloomberg is beyond me. Do you really think bloomberg isnot bias? They have products to sell to the shyster hedges who luv manipulating apple.
I can see it now, Steve Jobs takes the stage and says, “lets look at the data…” and demonstrate not only that Apple does not track location data, as Steve originally claimed, but also show that Google and Android DO track and use location data from their respective devices. Now look who’s ‘calling the kettle black’. Loca-gate will be dead soon.
I’m not happy that Apple has this file with a long expiry date (if that). However, I think maybe they’re safe behind the EULA. This was previously brought to light and Apple was aware of it, hopefully their EULA is soundly coded to cover this. The well paid Apple legal eagles certainly had the time to do it.
It won’t hold up in court.
Wait and see.
When you’re big and successful, the world paints a target on your back. Sadly, however, the dimwits perpetrating these idiotic and frivolous lawsuits have to pay their own lawyer fees. Slap back!
Yeah, ilotsa luck trying to prove it. Dummies.
Apple should counter-sue the as_holes and see how long those as_holes will last in court.
I bet these same 2 morons who are so concerned about privacy, spend hours a day on facebook and twitter, divulging their entire lives.