Federal Lawsuit Filed Over Apple's Location Tracking in iOS [Updated]

[kdarling]

OK, that's a valid point and it's good to bring that up. I think we are now in the territory where this happens with all smart phones to one degree or another, no? So this gets into a larger question about privacy and phones.

Agreed. So, some random thoughts:

Personally, I have no problem with a phone collecting cell and wifi data anonymously. It helps everyone, including me. But that means there must be zero trail left. No unencrypted local files, etc.

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Another mysterious item is that both Apple and Google issue a 12 or 24 hour temporary id to phones that are sending up data. After a little thought, I suspect that's so they'll know if someone out there is trying to game the system and stuff bogus info into Apple's location database. So, okay, but it's interesting.

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I also want to be able to control my battery usage. When I choose to use a location app, I know I could be using more power, but that's my decision. (It's the same with widgets. It's my decision to allocate power as I wish.)

When the phone maker does things in the background without telling me or allowing me to opt out, then I've lost some control that I could and should have. So I should be able to turn off Apple's extra collection sequences.

 

[Secruoser]

Jobs on Apple tracking its users: "You're perceiving it wrong."

 

[RicD]

Mandated by the FCC

The 1996 telecommunications act mandated that cell carriers be able to track users within 50 feet. All phones offered after 2002 were so capable. So, is it the FCC or Apple, Google and the like that should be looked at.

In my book these phone makers are doing what they were mandated to do. If they did not have these features in their phones then the carriers could not track users.

Privacy, nah, it is Big-Brother. Oh, this tracking issue has been well know for over a year so, it is a non-issue.

 

[Thex1138]

Spare a thought for those Sony PSD users...

The 78 million or so users who now have to get new credit cards and numbers... Let alone their personal data now in the wild...

 

[tablo13]

Why don't they sue Apple for including private information in backup like logged in accounts, contacts, etc unsecured by default if they're gonna sue them for logging location data in the backup?

 

[ChrisNM]

money grubbers

They are not suing for damages. They are asking for an injunction to stop Apple from collecting the data which according to Steve Jobs Apple doesn't do. So what is the harm in having a court order in place just in case Apple decides to change its mind?

And then they want a refund on their iPad or iPhone. If they get that, they set the stage for others to ask for a similar refund. The problem is how do you separate the people who really wouldn't have bought the devices had they known versus those who are just looking for a refund so they can upgrade to a newer version of the device (in the case of the iPad).

 

[barkmonster]

Only Apple? The Android system does the same thing, AND sends the information off to Google. The iPhone/iPad just logs the data to a file. Seems a bit unfair to me, but we'll see.

I agree.

If "an iPhone user" has a backup of "their" locations in "their" profile for "their" iPhone on "their" computer. Why all the noise over privacy?

The only person who's got access to it is the user themselves and even then it's in a backup form and for anyone else to use it they'd need to steal the hard drive out of your computer to access the information, not to mention know exactly where it's stored, in what format and exactly how to interpret it.

This sounds like a few people have read a little too much Orwell and need to calm down.

 

[TheMacBookPro]

Android MAKES YOU AGREE to let Google collect (anonymous) location data before it'll let you activate the WiFi triangulation. ie- THEY TELL YOU that they will collect location data. Where's the 'location consent' form in iOS?