Apple applied for a broad patent on location tracking services back in September 2009 — the kind of location tracking that is now causing a storm of controversy.
The patent application, entitled “Location Histories for Location Aware Devices,” throws some light on the iPhone tracking issue, which is soon to be the subject of a Senate hearing.
The wide-ranging patent describes several technologies and services for tracking the location of devices, including computers, MP3 players and game consoles, as well as mobile devices like iPads and iPhones.
A location aware mobile device can … collect network information (e.g., transmitter IDs) over time. Upon request by a user or application, the network information can be translated to estimated position coordinates … of the location aware device for display on a map view or for other purposes. A user or application can query the location history database with a timestamp or other query to retrieve all or part of the location history for display in a map view.
The patent application describes processes for tracking devices even when they are in sleep mode, and describes how location data can be used to trigger camera functions or unlock the device.
The application mostly concentrates on the functions of the controversial consolidated.db file, which has been the focus of intense scrutiny in the last few weeks from privacy advocates.
Critics say the file could used to track users, while Apple has said it is used only for internal functions like mapping. Apple has also said that the file has several bugs that will be fixed soon.
The patent application describes processes for sending data to network services, which return precise information about location, and for tracking particular mobile devices, which theoretically could be used to identify individuals.
Apple has denied that it tracks users or stores data that could be used to identify individuals. In a Q&A published last week, Apple admitted that it is collecting anonymous data to build a crowd-sourced traffic database and to serve location-aware iAds.
Some may suggest that a 2009 patent application throws Apple’s statements into doubt.
However, patents and patent applications are mostly legal tools. They are rarely statements of intent or product roadmaps. Companies like Apple routinely apply for wide-ranging patents to protect their technology, but also to protect against future lawsuits. It is rare that a patent or patent application spells out a company’s precise plans for particular product or services.
In other words, just because Apple applied for a patent for location tracking, it may have had no intention to implement the technologies described.
Here’s the patent application: Location Histories for Location Aware Devices
Leander Kahney is the editor and publisher of Cult of Mac.
Leander is a longtime technology reporter and the author of six acclaimed books about Apple, including two New York Times bestsellers: Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple’s Greatest Products and Inside Steve’s Brain, a biography of Steve Jobs.
He’s also written a top-selling biography of Apple CEO Tim Cook and authored Cult of Mac and Cult of iPod, which both won prestigious design awards. Most recently, he was co-author of Cult of Mac, 2nd Edition.
Leander has been reporting about Apple and technology for nearly 30 years.
Before founding Cult of Mac as an independent publication, Leander was news editor at Wired.com, where he was responsible for the day-to-day running of the Wired.com website. He headed up a team of six section editors, a dozen reporters and a large pool of freelancers. Together the team produced a daily digest of stories about the impact of science and technology, and won several awards, including several Webby Awards, 2X Knight-Batten Awards for Innovation in Journalism and the 2010 MIN (Magazine Industry Newsletter) award for best blog, among others.
Before being promoted to news editor, Leander was Wired.com’s senior reporter, primarily covering Apple. During that time, Leander published a ton of scoops, including the first in-depth report about the development of the iPod. Leander attended almost every keynote speech and special product launch presented by Steve Jobs, including the historic launches of the iPhone and iPad. He also reported from almost every Macworld Expo in the late ’90s and early ‘2000s, including, sadly, the last shows in Boston, San Francisco and Tokyo. His reporting for Wired.com formed the basis of the first Cult of Mac book, and subsequently this website.
Before joining Wired, Leander was a senior reporter at the legendary MacWeek, the storied and long-running weekly that documented Apple and its community in the 1980s and ’90s.
Leander has written for Wired magazine (including the Issue 16.04 cover story about Steve Jobs’ leadership at Apple, entitled Evil/Genius), Scientific American, The Guardian, The Observer, The San Francisco Chronicle and many other publications.
Leander is an expert on:
Apple and Apple history
Steve Jobs, Jony Ive, Tim Cook and Apple leadership
Apple community
iPhone and iOS
iPad and iPadOS
Mac and macOS
Apple Watch and watchOS
Apple TV and tvOS
AirPods
Leander has a postgrad diploma in artificial intelligence from the University of Aberdeen, and a BSc (Hons) in experimental psychology from the University of Sussex.
He has a diploma in journalism from the UK’s National Council for the Training of Journalists.
Leander lives in San Francisco, California, and is married with four children. He’s an avid biker and has ridden in many long-distance bike events, including California’s legendary Death Ride.
You can find out more about Leander on LinkedIn and Facebook. You can follow him on X at @lkahney or Instagram.
