Apple Wednesday said it will release a free update to its iOS software which the Cupertino, Calif. company claims will secure location data stored on the iPhone and iPad. The update will “reduce the size of the database file, encrypt the file, and ensure it is deleted if users disable location services on their iPhone or 3G-connected iPad,” Apple announced in a press release.
Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported the tracking feature continues even when users disable location services. The growing concerns, which now goes by “Locationgate,” has prompted class-action lawsuits and government investigations.
Although Apple said explaining the issue is “hard to communicate in a soundbite,” the company released a 10-point rebuttal to fears iPhone and iPad users are being tracked. “Users are confused, partly because the creators of this new technology (including Apple) have not provided enough education about these issues to date,” the company said.
The data is cached and stored on the iPhone. Although “protected”, the data is not encrypted when backed up via iTunes, the company said. That cache should get smaller. “The reason the iPhone stores so much data is a bug we uncovered,” Apple explained. “We don’t think the iPhone needs to store more than seven days of this data.”
The company described the storing of Wi-Fi and cell tower data despite location services disabled as a “bug.” However the tech giant will still collect data it says will be used to “build a crowd-sourced traffic database with the goal of providing iPhone users an improved traffic service in the next couple of years.”
Relying simply on GPS data is not enough. “iPhone can reduce this time to just a few seconds by using Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data when GPS is not available (such as indoors or in basement),” according to Apple.
Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.
13 responses to “Apple: iOS Location Concerns Result of ‘Bug’ – A Free Fix is on the Way”
“The growing concerns, which now goes by ‘Locationgate,'”
Where, besides CoM, has this term been used?
Havent heard the term ‘Locationgate’ anywhere other than this site.
Generally a very good site, please stop trying to coin stupid terms like this, its makes you look and sound second rate. Like a tabloid.
Enough already.
Havent heard the term ‘Locationgate’ anywhere other than this site.
Generally a very good site, please stop trying to coin stupid terms like this, its makes you look and sound second rate. Like a tabloid.
Enough already.
Actually if anyone used thier Brain, it is the Cellular Network Provider that is tracking your every move and logging it. Service providers such as AT&T and Verizon have been doing this since the advent of Cell Phones.
They have also been known to give up this information to Law Enforcement when requested.
Of course your cell phone company knows where your Phone is at any given time and where it has been. That is the way the system works. If they could not track your phone then how could they hand it off from tower to tower.
All of this is A pointless waste of time and money. Senate hearings Ect. Just goes to show how ignorant most Americans are to the technology they use.
Why hasn’t anyone complained in the past that thier cell phone company was tracking them. Every phone has 2 identifiers.
The IMEI Code and The Subscriber Code. They know where you are all the time NOT APPLE!!!!
What a Joke!!
Great! Now, can everyone shut the hell up about this non-issue? I guess this steals Senator Franken’s thunder huh? I guess he will have to go back to doing his job now, or he will still hound Apple over this in an attempt to look like he gives a crap about his constituents.
when i first saw the (new) reports on this I downloaded the app and was confused because the app couldn’t find any such info on my Mac from my iPad or my iPhone.
Then I discovered since i had made the basic choice to password lock my iphone and ipad and encrypt my backups it didn’t work on my devices. Since this checkbox on any mobile device should be checked I’m still wondering what the problem is.
I think you failed to mention the most important part of Apple’s response:
“The iPhone is not logging your location. Rather, it’s maintaining a database of Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers around your current location, some of which may be located more than one hundred miles away from your iPhone, to help your iPhone rapidly and accurately calculate its location when requested. Calculating a phone’s location using just GPS satellite data can take up to several minutes. iPhone can reduce this time to just a few seconds by using Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data to quickly find GPS satellites, and even triangulate its location using just Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data when GPS is not available (such as indoors or in basements).”