Apple has said that the iPhone 11 family is using location data to regulate Ultra Wideband emissions, but is not collecting the data, and everything is being done on-device.
Mike Wuerthele for AppleInsider:
Apple has issued a statement to AppleInsider and other venues in response to security researcher Brian Krebs discovering that the iPhone 11 Pro appears to periodically utilize its GPS module to gather location data in the face of user wishes.
Ultra Wideband technology is an industry standard technology and is subject to international regulatory requirements that require it to be turned off in certain locations. iOS uses Location Services to help determine if iPhone is in these prohibited locations in order to disable Ultra Wideband and comply with regulations.
The management of Ultra Wideband compliance and its use of location data is done entirely on the device and Apple is not collecting user location data. — Apple Inc.
Apple has also said that it will allow users to toggle the feature completely off in a future update. However, roll-out of that toggle appears to be related to government requirements which aren’t presently under review in the US at least —so when this will be provided to users isn’t clear at this time.
MacDailyNews Take: Basically, it’s as Krebs suspected all along.
