“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
Al Franken is just upset that someone other than his beloved government has access to as much or more detailed information people in this country.
God forbid that there is private company that could screw around with all those government officals (Senators /house /judges /congress) travels to the hookers and special interest groups with there midnight activity.
Sounds to me there might be a story why Al Franken wants to know.
HEY AL, what cha be UP to lately? Got something to hide? Maybe we should grab that data and just see what you want to hide!
Dirty Al!
This message could have just as easily been stated by our “friend” Eric Schmidt.
A quick, cursory glance at the comments on this story (I won’t waste my time reading them) once again reveals the ideologues are hard at work trying to bury hatchets in one another’s skulls. Perhaps they should succeed, then we might get back to Apple news instead of this tiresome, boring political theater.
If your born, your already on the grid and being tracked. There you.
Ed Markey has jumped on the “Send a Letter to Steve Jobs” bandwagon, again. Pure political publicity stunts. Apparently, neither politician has heard that Jobs is on medical leave. If they were truly serious, they would address the letter to Tim Cook. But, then that would never get them the much sought-after media attention. In fact, the whole story is media hype and is old news.
In all fairness, Steve is officially still the CEO, and Tim Cook is only running day-to-day operations (as per Apple’s press release from a few months ago, as well as their answers to questions during recent conference calls).
I am confused here. Franken says that they can tell if you went to a gun show or a prayer meeting? How can they get that from the fact I accessed a cell tower? Wouldn’t you need a little better accuracy to deduce one was at a gun show because it was within a mile of some cell tower? Damn, lets all get out our tinfoil hats.
it records towers that you are in range of and from that it can determan latitude and longitude as well as altitude so if you are at this building it will know wich floor you are on this is not some veague in this neighborhood thing this is pinpoint info so yes it knows if you are at the gunshow on the first floor or the quire practice on the fourth! and just because we have not yet found the transmit all file does not omit the possibility of its existence just means that part is most likely encripted
The only point that Frankin makes with which I agree, is the question of why it is not encrypted. Apple could easily encrypt the database making the controlled access provided by their api much better.
Come on guys, stop the BS comments and get to the
point. Why is your iPhone and iPad 3G recording and
saving the history of your locations of use? Does
anyone know? Don’t need your political rants, save
them for another day.
the database is there to allow the software to help determine direction of travel along with allowing software to maintain geographical boundaries. The database probably does not need to have the longevity of keeping information indefinitely, but the availability of the api has been a feature of iOS and the iPhone for a long time.
OOps. I’m ignorant. Just read the previous MDN
posting titled ‘Expert: iPhone tracking story is
nothing new and Apple is not collecting the data’.
It explains everything. Somebody send it to Al
Franken, Minnesota’s outstanding DEMOCRATIC
senator.
Unless there are privacy laws being violated, what’s the big deal? Reading this web page and even writing, you can be tracked.
If Apple was like GOOGLE, where they collect data about you without you even knowing and use it, then the case would be different.
However, Apple isn’t collecting and using said data. The data stays on your computer.
The Senator doth protest too much, methinks. Something to hide, Al?
I love it when MDN deletes my posts.
If you want to know where I’ve been look me up on Foursquare. At least you will learn who has the best sweets and pizza. If I’ve lost my phone or my Macbook I have greater problems.
Now if anyone syncs to a computer on a corporate network well then you should worry. Management everywhere is asking IT to check on employee’s.
This may be a dumb question, but I was under the impression every phone that has this “tracking” capability did that. Doesn’t Android do the same thing? If so, why is Apple the one being picked on?
Ok guy, we re not stupid about tracking, but storing location data for 6 month that the GESTAPO can scan anytime without us knowing… IS A BIG DEAL
Al Franken’s political abilities aside, is Apple storing information about where my phone has been or not? Is it being stored on my phone and can it be accessed remotely?
Just trying to break through the hoopla.
Thanks.
“Is it being stored on my phone”
Yes
“can it be accessed remotely?”
It IS possible that it CAN be accessed remotely. We’re talking about data bits so anything is possible. The big question I’d like Apple to explain is whether it IS or WILL BE accessed and by whom.
@orginal shiva…
no and no
Al,
Take a valium.
Steve.
Forget the file, forget your phone, they are already tied directly to the cell companies infrastructure:
https://hackbloc.org/content/new-nsa-mission
Relax, Al, the data doesn’t reveal who stuffed the ballot boxes in Minnesota … or does it? 😉
If you FoxNews lemmings would stop and pay attention, Franken is the smartest brain on Capitol Hill and the most thoroughly prepared lawmaker.
Besides, in spite of my high regard for Apple, I would like some of these answers.
This coming from a HuffPost/CNN/MSNBC/CBS/NPR/NYT lemming.
I always laugh when some stupid politician demands answers. Congress is corrupt, thieving den of liars and whores. All of them, regardless of party. But they “demand answers.”
Well said. When they demand answer we should jump to it. The are the knights on a white horse and shining armor. Although under that is rot gut and pure evil of career politicians.
When, we the people, answers are demanded for what government officials have done or doing- we are extremist, trouble makers, and bias people simply angry for some trivial reason.
Idioits, Al before you jump to have someone write a letter for you- HAVE THEM DO RESEARCH!
Al Franken is the biggest embarrassment in Minnesota history since Jesse Ventura! This joke of all jokes won the election with the help of Acorn fraud and morally barren liberals manipulating the system blocking military votes! Bottom line Al Franken needs to STFU!!!!
iMaki go kaki
Before you get your panties in a wad read the following article:
https://alexlevinson.wordpress.com/2011/04/21/3-major-issues-with-the-latest-iphone-tracking-discovery/
Al Franken is an asshole who doesn’t know what he is talking about. Oh, wait … He is a politician … ’nuff said