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Hidden 'Indoor Survey' App Created by Apple Discovered on App Store

polterbyte said:
I hate the way shopping malls are specifically designed to get the customer lost so as to supposedly increasing the chance of a serendipitous purchase or twelve. If this can help me navigate through new (to me) public spaces more easily than by consulting mall maps or asking for directions to mall cops, I for one would be grateful.
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Hate is a little strong for something you can avoid simply by staying away from shopping malls.
 
StyxMaker said:
Let me know where you get your tinfoil, all I can find these days is aluminum foil.
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Try a scientific supply house.

That's where I got mine for demonstrating the difference between tin foil (darker in color, has an odor but doesn't make a lot of noise as it is handled) and aluminum foil.
 
citysnaps said:
Exactly what data are you referring to? I assume you believe it's data that uniquely identifies you? And why would Apple supply it to the Feds?
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Are you so naive that you think this "Indoor Survey" app isn't reporting something to anyone? Please learn how technology / analytics works, then come back when you have an understanding.
 
dstud208 said:
Uhhhh I doubt that is the case. Info is only handed to the "Feds" in an investigation and if your the one that they are investigating then you've got bigger problems.
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You obviously don't understand why Edward Snowden gave away a bunch of secret data. The Feds get the data regardless, through their middleman applications we don't even know they're using. We send it, and they capture it at the cell tower level. I'm not wrong.

dstud208 said:
And to be honest I'm pretty sure this is more to collect data on the buildings around people who contiously install this app and turn it on.
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Why are they needlessly collecting data they won't use?

dstud208 said:
Normally that need is on the side of the user, the only time it's on the side of the "Feds" as you say is when you've done something seriously wrong and are expecting a visit from Bruce Willis in an Apache.
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Bruce Willis is an actor. He has no helicopter skills.
 
norrismantooth said:
Are you so naive that you think this "Indoor Survey" app isn't reporting something to anyone? Please learn how technology / analytics works, then come back when you have an understanding.
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As an engineer and technologist I'm well-versed in technology. Rather than attack me, why not simply answer my question: Exactly what information that identifies you is Apple sending to the Feds? I suspect that's a question you are not able to answer, thus the attack on me.

And... While you're at it, please list your credentials that would help lend credence to any assertions you make regarding my question above.
 
Sirious said:
This is a natural step for Maps and I can see it being used in Find my Friends.

iPhone 6 and later have a barometer so it would cool if elevation could be shown too somehow...
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Barometers are terrible ways of determining elevation in general. They're probably even worse when you're inside a modern (fully sealed) climate controlled office building.
 
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Iphtashu Fitz said:
Barometers are terrible ways of determining elevation in general. They're probably even worse when you're inside a modern (fully sealed) climate controlled office building.
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Did a recent Stair Climb (charity event) where the event promoters let us know up front our fitness bands would most likely be inaccurate. It was an indoor climb. I didn't use one.

It was fun afterwards with many comparing results. There were a lot of differing result too :D
 
OldSchoolMacGuy said:
Many already do. When we built a new building back in 2005, we installed sensors within the walls throughout the $20 million building. Each employee needs a badge to get into the building. The sensors can then track that badge as you move throughout the building. Most don't even know they're being tracked.

It's fairly common for companies to do this.
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I saw a PBS documentary about this years ago. This one company who had installed that technology was using it to allow phone calls to follow their employees. If I received a phone call, but was standing in your office at the other end of the building the system would automatically route the calls. Also, they would track trends over the course of months, and if they found you were spending a lot of your time walking to the other end of the building to work with someone else they would use it to relocate employees to be more efficient.
 
DynaFXD said:
Add to that having to go give blood and urine samples so that they can know what you are doing outside of work too. And holding your social media presence against you if they like. And making you join the company PAC if you want to have any hope for advancement. OF course there are valid reason and conditions for doing the above. But overall, I think a lot of it is just reactionary BS.
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That's why you start your own business and be your own boss.
 
Rhonindk said:
I was surprised recently with a visit to Lenscafters in my local mall.
I was gifted with driving and then walking directions to the door of the store in the mall (Google Maps). When I parked, my walking directions were updated accordingly.
Pretty cool.
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Umm, they "gifted" you nothing. They let you have that information so that they could use your movements to gain analytics that they could then sell to advertisers.
 
dstud208 said:
Uhhhh I doubt that is the case. Info is only handed to the "Feds" in an investigation and if your the one that they are investigating then you've got bigger problems. So really, who cares?? The only people that should are the ones walking around with nukes in their back pocket.

And to be honest I'm pretty sure this is more to collect data on the buildings around people who contiously install this app and turn it on. It's not like they will be continually tracking your exact location inside buildings all the time (unless you have a nuke in your pocket) as that would murder your battery life. Once battery life hits 3 hours max people will stop buying iPhones and apple will die, and they don't want that. Features like this are on an as needed basis. Normally that need is on the side of the user, the only time it's on the side of the "Feds" as you say is when you've done something seriously wrong and are expecting a visit from Bruce Willis in an Apache.
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The only reason this app is out on the public App Store is for businesses to use it without AppleConnect permissions. Otherwise, it would be considered Internal and something that would run on a non-GUI version of iOS.
 
rdlink said:
I saw a PBS documentary about this years ago. This one company who had installed that technology was using it to allow phone calls to follow their employees. If I received a phone call, but was standing in your office at the other end of the building the system would automatically route the calls. Also, they would track trends over the course of months, and if they found you were spending a lot of your time walking to the other end of the building to work with someone else they would use it to relocate employees to be more efficient.
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Lots of great uses for such data. Find that an area of the building doesn't have anyone in it after 4pm, shut off the air conditioner there to save money.

They also now do similar at big events with tracking of phones on the wifi. They can pinpoint slow moving areas and look at ways to alleviate the congestion in those spots during high traffic times.

Essentially it's like what department of transit people have been doing for years but now you can take advantage of such data in your own building.
 
doctor-don said:
Hate is a little strong for something you can avoid simply by staying away from shopping malls.
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Hate is exactly how I feel about it, though, especially since if I can avoid malls about 95% of the time (and heartily do so), alas it's not something I can accomplish all of the time.
 
rdlink said:
Umm, they "gifted" you nothing. They let you have that information so that they could use your movements to gain analytics that they could then sell to advertisers.
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Tomato - Tomahto
They were already giving me driving directions and now for the same input I also get walking.
More for no additional cost.
That's cool ;)
 
OldSchoolMacGuy said:
Lots of great uses for such data. Find that an area of the building doesn't have anyone in it after 4pm, shut off the air conditioner there to save money.

They also now do similar at big events with tracking of phones on the wifi. They can pinpoint slow moving areas and look at ways to alleviate the congestion in those spots during high traffic times.

Essentially it's like what department of transit people have been doing for years but now you can take advantage of such data in your own building.
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And Seth Green can use it to get the stolen gold bars back...
 
This sounds pretty cool. Would like to play around with this but sounds like its only partially implemented at this point? Or maybe I misread the article.
 
LOL why are people trying to download and use an app that's not supposed to be public? 100% guarantee they'll complain if it doesn't work the way they WANT it to.
 
citysnaps said:
As an engineer and technologist I'm well-versed in technology. Rather than attack me, why not simply answer my question: Exactly what information that identifies you is Apple sending to the Feds? I suspect that's a question you are not able to answer, thus the attack on me.

And... While you're at it, please list your credentials that would help lend credence to any assertions you make regarding my question above.
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Here's my qualification: I have a brain, I'm college educated, and I can think for myself.

Nobody needs to know the layout/floorplan of my house except for myself and the people who live here. This app gives people the ability to see through walls. Also, there's a line between "needed utility for mapping purposes" and "warrantless domestic spying tool" that may or may not exist with this app. If the app is capable of mapping a floorplan, it's also capable of recording usage statistics based on position and timeline, correct? I consider every bit of that information personal, whether they can identify me by it or not, because a thinking person would be able to deduce an address based on GPS coordinates, and tell how that person goes on in their home. If that information were to be transmitted to anyone outside of Apple, it would be a ginormous invasion of privacy. And after today's events, and Hillary Clinton's email ordeal, and etc., would you really trust anyone? You may provide the information to Apple, and they will tell you the information is safe. But when Anonymous or the Fed (or both) have access to the information, it goes too far. There are programs the NSA and CIA use that allow them to monitor that data without a warrant. Please, don't think there aren't. Edward Snowden has already told us they exist.
 
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