Apple Officially Addresses Location Data Controversy

hmm

angrynstupid said:
Since I'm neither a criminal nor paranoid, I thought it was kind of cool/interesting too.
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so what do these people that are all freaked out about it have to hide? I'm not doing anyting wrong, not cheating on someone or robbing banks so track away! Do these people not have anything else to do but freak about EVERY LITTLE THING!
-geez!
:eek:
 
They will be in a whole heap of legal trouble if they say it and it's not true. Of course, that doesn't answer your question but I'm sure we will hear more about this issue as the "controversy" unfolds. :eek:


PeterQVenkman said:
I don't feel like reading through all the butt hurt comments and strangely political attacks in this thread so I'll just ask:

How do we know that Apple anonymizes data they do send?
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samcraig said:
Both are issues. Both are being addressed. Why must someone (you) throw one company under the bus in favor of supporting another. Both had/have issues and both are responding.
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From Sony: "Although we are still investigating the details of this incident, we believe that an unauthorized person has obtained the following information that you provided: name, address (city, state, zip), country, email address, birthdate, PlayStation Network/Qriocity password and login, and handle/PSN online ID. It is also possible that your profile data, including purchase history and billing address (city, state, zip), and your PlayStation Network/Qriocity password security answers may have been obtained. " Multiplied by 77 million. Compared to some very inaccurate location information possibly found if your iPhone gets stolen.

I'm not throwing Sony under a bus; they've walked in the street themselves, called the bus company, three taxis and a dozen circus elephants and they all drove or ran straight over them. That from a company who was caught installing root kits on customer's computers and got away with it.
 
PeterQVenkman said:
I don't feel like reading through all the butt hurt comments and strangely political attacks in this thread so I'll just ask:

How do we know that Apple anonymizes data they do send?
Click to expand...

They told us.

But... a university study (if I remember correctly), was able to take anonymized data and determine exactly who one of the random id's in some anonymized data belonged to. It just goes to show that if you can corrolate enough information, anonymized data can become not so anonymized.
 
iVoid said:
Well, I think it's good that Apple is addressing this issue (although I wonder if they'll release an update for the 3G, since they are no longer doing iOS upgrades for it and the original iPhone).


But their statement: "The iPhone is not logging your location" is ridiculous. They are logging your location. For a long time. In an insecure way.

Outside of the PR butt saving double-speak, this is a good move by Apple to address this issue.
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Are you a cell-tower? No?
Are you a wi-fi access point? No?
Then *your* location was never logged in this file, because those are the only positions logged in the file.

Your inability to distinguish yourself from hundreds of inanimate objects in the world around you is moderately disturbing.
 
Latest headline at www.theregister.com:

Apple breaks location-storing silence
Admits underestimating stupidity of its users*

* There is an old, and well trusted, IT adage that one should never, ever, underestimate the stupidity of the user.
 
gnasher729 said:
Latest headline at www.theregister.com:

Apple breaks location-storing silence
Admits underestimating stupidity of its users*

* There is an old, and well trusted, IT adage that one should never, ever, underestimate the stupidity of the user.
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Wait till they find out that silicon is purified sand. They'll be an outcry that we're supporting the Middle East that we're buying iphones.
 
I believe them. A company that's been unable to fix a simple alarm clock app with DST three times surely can't program location logging eh caching features...
 
vincenz said:
A "bug" right? ;)
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Actually, a PR gaffe. There's no personal data in there, so it didn't occur to them how much people would freak out. It gives your general region, true. OMG, now you know I'm roughly in SoCal. Or maybe Las Vegas or Henderson, NV, where I've never been -- but some routing information got misplaced.

Ever hear of Skyhook? This was the commercial company that gave this data to Apple and Google. It did the same thing, and this was how they could triangulate you between a known wifi location and a cell tower. Know where you are within a block or so. So you can figure out where you are before you find the satellite, and then make it more accurate when the GPS kicks in.

Not a bug, an oversight. And unreadable unless your phone has a Trojan. And pretty useless as a way of finding you. Well, it would narrow down where you live to within a few blocks. Since you could only access it with physical possession of your phone and/or computer, then the thief would have to know your location already. Oh, the fright!
 
Tundraboy said:
Hilarious!!!!! We're not tracking you but we're going to provide a patch soon.......typical Apple response......just DENY!!!!!

There is no antenna issue with the iPhone 4 but we'll give you a free bumper for a limited time, act quickly while supplies last LMAO!!!!!
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A total TROLL. Read its posting history. Continually bashes aapl. Probably a minimum wage job.
 
Home on the Range

Rafterman said:
I know of no cell tower or wifi device that works up to 100 miles away.
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You are right. The nominal, documented range of extended GSM is only 75 miles (120 km), limited by the width of its time slot. In densely populated areas, the slotting is different and GSM is only usable to 22 miles (35 km). It is usually trimmed to much less, anyway, by buildings, terrain, and other urban towers.

However, since you make a point of not personally knowing any exceptions, perhaps you could enlighten us as to why Apple's experience is surely absurd in believing that they could ever, on this planet, have seen a tower signal (not engaged a call, mind you) at "up to 100 miles," 33% above spec.
 
gnasher729 said:
From Sony: "Although we are still investigating the details of this incident, we believe that an unauthorized person has obtained the following information that you provided: name, address (city, state, zip), country, email address, birthdate, PlayStation Network/Qriocity password and login, and handle/PSN online ID. It is also possible that your profile data, including purchase history and billing address (city, state, zip), and your PlayStation Network/Qriocity password security answers may have been obtained. " Multiplied by 77 million. Compared to some very inaccurate location information possibly found if your iPhone gets stolen.

I'm not throwing Sony under a bus; they've walked in the street themselves, called the bus company, three taxis and a dozen circus elephants and they all drove or ran straight over them. That from a company who was caught installing root kits on customer's computers and got away with it.
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That doesn't excuse Apple nor make Apple's issue any less important. Two companies. Two issues. Both important. You can argue which is more important - but that's neither here nor there and off topic.
 
Vegasman said:
They told us.

But... a university study (if I remember correctly), was able to take anonymized data and determine exactly who one of the random id's in some anonymized data belonged to. It just goes to show that if you can corrolate enough information, anonymized data can become not so anonymized.
Click to expand...

It just goes to show you that if someone REALLY wanted to find you there is nothing you can do to stop them.
 
I really detest that Apple is collecting this data. They are evil!!

Sorry, I want to post more, but I need to check in on Foursquare and to update my Facebook status. I'm going to the grocery store now. I'm almost mayor of the store. Woohoo!! I'll send a tweet as soon as I'm there..
 
Vegasman said:
They told us.

But... a university study (if I remember correctly), was able to take anonymized data and determine exactly who one of the random id's in some anonymized data belonged to. It just goes to show that if you can corrolate enough information, anonymized data can become not so anonymized.
Click to expand...

Congratulations. Given the resources of a university study, or of the CIA, I suppose, you can find out where a certain phone is.

Oh, wait a minute. They could monitor your number at AT&T or Verizon (no warrant required for location or numbers called) and wait for you to turn on the GPS. Gotcha. Exact location, within a few feet. Watch out for the black helicopters.
 
Swift said:
Actually, a PR gaffe. There's no personal data in there, so it didn't occur to them how much people would freak out. It gives your general region, true. OMG, now you know I'm roughly in SoCal. Or maybe Las Vegas or Henderson, NV, where I've never been -- but some routing information got misplaced.

Ever hear of Skyhook? This was the commercial company that gave this data to Apple and Google. It did the same thing, and this was how they could triangulate you between a known wifi location and a cell tower. Know where you are within a block or so. So you can figure out where you are before you find the satellite, and then make it more accurate when the GPS kicks in.

Not a bug, an oversight. And unreadable unless your phone has a Trojan. And pretty useless as a way of finding you. Well, it would narrow down where you live to within a few blocks. Since you could only access it with physical possession of your phone and/or computer, then the thief would have to know your location already. Oh, the fright!
Click to expand...

Yeah. I also remember Apple ending their relationship with Skyhook and taking that responsibility in house.

Not for nothing - but everyone walking around with an iPhone was creating this new database for Apple saving them, no doubt, millions of dollars. And we did it happily... for free :)
 
G4DP said:
I thought they said that there was not any concerns?
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Given hysterical and crazy press coverage which took some time out from Kate and Will's wedding coverage to blather some idiotic paranoia about the Appleocalypse, there were "concerns." So they addressed the illiterate and hysterical or misinformed concerns.
 
NebulaClash said:
It's Apple. If Apple does something, it's the end of the world. If everyone else does something similar, *shrug*

Apple does well in the market place, so it behooves the tech media to attack Apple as often as their partners wish them to. Standard PR tactics.
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By the way, I was on Google's side when they got caught with a little extra data when they did exactly the same thing: gather all the data they could on the position of wifis and cell towers for faster operation of their phones. It was called Skyhook, when another company offered their db. Both Apple and Google realized they could create their own and not have to pay for it. Google had some instances where they accidentally kept some e-mail and other data about the wifi locations. Ho-hum. They've erased the extra data, and they never used anything but the locations. Did that little nugget get to worldwide headlines on the New for Idiots shows? Well, it must have. The EU and the Senate needed hearings on that.
 
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