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Senator Asks Apple About Location-Tracking Issues as Experts Weigh In

JTToft said:
If anybody is interested, here is the iPhone Software License Agreement:
http://images.apple.com/legal/sla/docs/iphone.pdf

On the very first page, there is a rather large paragraph describing the use of non-personal location data.
Click to expand...

By using any location-based services on your iPhone, you agree and consent to Apple’s and its partners’ and licensees’ transmission, collection, maintenance, processing and use of your location data and queries to provide and improve such products and services. You may withdraw this consent at any time by going to the Location Services setting on your iPhone and either turning off the global Location Services setting or turning off the individual location settings of each location-aware application on your iPhone.

Great, so all the users who have their location services setting switched off shouldn't have any hidden files, right? :rolleyes:
 
maclaptop said:
Apple hackers develop better jailbreaks now so they can keep up with the superior system Android has.

There's so much more one can do with Android.

After having every iPhone, I tried Android and I'm so amazed at their great capabilities.

Android is awesome.

That said my Iphone 4 is best as an iPod replacement.

I have the best of both worlds.
Click to expand...

YOu sound like an advertiser for Acai Berries Diet.
 
MacMan86 said:
Reports are the file isn't sent to Apple, it doesn't leave the iPhone/iTunes backup. It exists to cache the location of nearby cell towers to provide a rough location in an area with no GPS or data connection. If it wasn't persistent, it would be pointless

This explains it very well: https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/12432603/
Click to expand...

But it doesn't need to be as persistent and as precise as it is for that to work. My history of last year is not relevent. The file should be flushed/cleaned out after a certain time. After a point, the data isn't useful to the phone.

It also shouldn't be backed-up. The device starts with a new DB when its new, no reason it shouldn't start over when you restore. That would alleviate some of the privacy concerns at least.

And if this same file isn't what is being sent to Apple, and you have information indicating this, then the summary of the article that makes it sound like it is should be fixed.
 
The passcode can be easily bypassed.

Look into Cellbrite if you haven't:
http://www.cellebrite.com/forensic-products/ufed-physical-pro.html

It pretty much copies everything on your phone. It works with 95% of all the cell phones that exist, smartphone or not. iPhone, Android, Symbian, WinMobile, etc...

Check here to see if your phone is supported ;)

Trust only paper or your mind.

dietwater5 said:
If you have a passcode on your phone then you cant sync/create a backup if your phone was lost or stolen
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
has anyone actually used the app in question? The data is so wildly inaccurate as to make it pointless. Even recompiling it with a 1000 times more accuracy has me placed in locations I haven't been to since I go an iPhone. So the question is not one of data, per se, but data accuracy: law enforcement have known about this for ages. If my iPhone says I was near a scene of crime, but I disagree, I bet I know which side the police would go with. That is the trouble with this data.
 
consolidated.db is in a protected area of iOS, normally inaccessible to users, unless the phone is jailbroken.
The existence of this file has been known for years, just that some moron decided to make a big issue out of it. There are iphone forensics books that talk about this file, dating from at least two years back.

AFAIK, the purpose of this file is mainly to track the location of the cell towers. If you pay attention to the video released, you'll notice that around the locator cursor appear some other random points, changing as the subject moves. Those should be the cell towers.

The approach to gather this file is by accessing the iTunes backup of the phone on the computer itself. This file is encrypted, but someone with access to the computer can find the keys and decrypted. There are already available some tools to do that.

In the end, a user careless enough to let their enemies access their computer and phone deserves to get hacked. There's no way around it, everything is hackable.
 
feedface said:
has anyone actually used the app in question? The data is so wildly inaccurate as to make it pointless. Even recompiling it with a 1000 times more accuracy has me placed in locations I haven't been to since I go an iPhone. So the question is not one of data, per se, but data accuracy: law enforcement have known about this for ages. If my iPhone says I was near a scene of crime, but I disagree, I bet I know which side the police would go with. That is the trouble with this data.
Click to expand...

The data may not be accurate, as it's main purpose is to track cell towers, not the user.
 
Only ones upset over such news is Johny what's his face who hangs out at the local booby bar, when his wife thinks he's somewhere else. :eek:
 
Whats really concerning is, Apple purposefully coded this function into (cellular) iOS devices (not sure if wifi models track similar information through IP)

The point is, this is both subversive and intrusive. Yes, I know we gave them a free ticket to do this in our T&C...but the fact that this collection is completely unnecessary for the consumer, Im very suspicious of the motivations behind it.
 
Ping Guo said:
Great, so all the users who have their location services setting switched off shouldn't have any hidden files, right? :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

-No. As I read it, that location switch in the settings is purely for the services described in this piece:

iPhone Software License Agreement said:
By using any location-based services on your iPhone, you agree and consent to Apple’s and its partners’ and licensees’ transmission, collection, maintenance, processing and use of your location data and queries to provide and improve such products and services.
Click to expand...
"You may withdraw this consent" in the part you quoted relates only to the above, not the first part of the paragraph on location data in the License Agreement.

In other words, the above and the piece right before that in the Agreement are two different things, as I read it.

By the way: How did you manage to copy text from the PDF? :)
 
MCP-511 said:
Only ones upset over such news is Johny what's his face who hangs out at the local booby bar, when his wife thinks he's somewhere else. :eek:
Click to expand...

He should know better to turn off the location service.

Think about this, people... without it, it would be practically impossible to use the find my iPhone Feature of MobileMe.

Have you thought that the government can track your approximate location based on your SunPass usage? (Sunpass is a automated toll paying system used in Florida, U.S. It's also known by different names in other states. Every time you pass by a Toll, their sensors read your Sunpass and charge your account accordingly.
I have noticed the presence of these 'sensors' in other parts of the road besides Toll plazas.

So, be real: Absolute Privacy does no longer exists.
 
One of the many advantages of my iPhone 4 tracking me, is that I have big brother watching me. I'm never alone.

The only problem is my stupid Android phone can't do the same.

I have an appointment with Apple next week, I'm giving them the keys to my house, cars, and all my tax returns, stock certificates and investment portfolio. They promise to do every thing for less than 70% of my annual income. A great deal.

I'm in good hands with Apple, not a worry in the world. I'm now an official Apple fanboy. Living in the walled garden all I have to do is be an Apple drone :)

Woo Hoo life is sweet.
 
Ping Guo said:
If this were Google or M$ you apologists would be foaming at the mouth.
Click to expand...

The anti-Google folks on this forum have used the privacy issue as ammunition against Google for quite some time now. To my surprise (or not really) all of the sudden privacy is not important to then anymore.

At least with Google you KNOW data is collected.
 
I don't see the big hoopla and the press who are probably not very tech savy just ran with this....

If you really knew about the features Apple offers with the iPhone then they would know that they have a service to find your stolen iPhone...how else would it work...?? lol morons.

This is no biggie.

This is also capable on any phone...triangulation can be done on any cellular device if the "authorities" wanted too look for someone.
 
al franken?

I thought it was just us "tinfoil hats" as was said yesterday by some in these forums, who would be upset about this?

Guess not. :rolleyes:
 
You know you're talking to a fanboy when they dismiss and downplay an issue such as this one.

You should be ashamed. You think because someone makes a shiny phone they can treat you this way?

I wonder how Steve would feel if people could know his location 24/7...
 
I trust Apple a lot more than Al Franken.

Remember, Al Franken voted for legislation that would require, among other privacy violations:
- All your health care information be reported to the government.
- All your health care information be kept in a centrallized location.
- the disclosure of your financial and health care information to the IRS without your notification
- all busiensses that gather any information about you via the internet (including Apple) to disclose this information to the government upon demand and without a warrant.

So, Franken can pretend like he cares about privacy, but he's already clearly on the record in thinking that you don't have any privacy when HE wants to find out things about you.
 
econgeek said:
I trust Apple a lot more than Al Franken.

Remember, Al Franken voted for legislation that would require, among other privacy violations:
- All your health care information be reported to the government.
- All your health care information be kept in a centrallized location.
- the disclosure of your financial and health care information to the IRS without your notification
- all busiensses that gather any information about you via the internet (including Apple) to disclose this information to the government upon demand and without a warrant.

So, Franken can pretend like he cares about privacy, but he's already clearly on the record in thinking that you don't have any privacy when HE wants to find out things about you.
Click to expand...

Al Franken isnt tracking me, my iphone is.

What a lame ass attempt to politicize the issue :rolleyes:
 
Why is a congressman getting involved in this? So ridiculous. This information has been stored by the cell companies for years. Now I can access my own. So what.

And all this worry about being hacked or someone else looking at my computer. If they take my computer they can also see a ton of other personal stuff about my life. Just like stealing or going through my wallet.

This is just the media blowing something out of proportion to make a story. So dumb.
 
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