Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Well, as I said before

NUTTY FOLKS: OMG Apple keeps a copy of some wifi stations on my phone. It's a huge privacy violation!

FACT: Apple doesn't access the database cache, emails, passwords, photos on your phone either.

Except, Apple says that they actually do access the location database:

5. Can Apple locate me based on my geo-tagged Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data?
No. This data is sent to Apple in an anonymous and encrypted form. Apple cannot identify the source of this data.

8. What other location data is Apple collecting from the iPhone besides crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data?
Apple is now collecting anonymous traffic data to build a crowd-sourced traffic database with the goal of providing iPhone users an improved traffic service in the next couple of years.
 
Weren't they made aware of this almost a year ago? That's a long time to address an oversight.

Actually the recent news about the location db is a completely unrelated issue.

1. Apple does collect location data in order to improve their location services. This was long ago disclosed to regulators and users. This is NOT the target of the recent media buzz.

2. Your phone dynamically creates a local cache of known cell tower locations in order to aid in GPS triangulation (the "a" in aGPS). This is the recent hot topic and has been grossly misrepresented by the media. (Apple does not collect this data, because they sent it to you in the first place)
 
Besides worrying about Manufacturers and telco vendors, people need to always be aware that when they have a device such as an iPhone, iPad, and Android device, that they are carrying around a pocket, or highly portable computer.

Security concerns you would have with data on your laptop should be carried over to those devices, and even, be paid closer attention to. You are carrying around a device that is most always internet connected, has cameras, has GPS, has Microphones, and motion sensors.

I don't consider my iPhone a spy device, but, I keep all of those things in mind when I am running around with it ;) .
 
...
FACT: Apple doesn't access the database cache, emails, passwords, photos on your phone either.
...
I agree, but it's always good to keep corporations honest. Google, on the other hand, does try and get you to use their webmail precisely so that they can access it.
 
I am not defending Full of Win. I sincerely am not.

But some people should keep in mind that it's entirely possible to love a company's products while not liking part or all of the actual company or how they operate on given occasions.

It's very easy for some here to just throw out the term troll and hater just because someone isn't accepting of Apple's PR, etc.

Now go ahead an tag this with your "-1" too :)
 
You know what people should be concerning themselves with today instead of this non-issue? The credit card and personal information of 77 MILLION users that was stolen from the Sony network this week. Now THAT is an issue.

PS. Do you think Sony will get sued?
 
You know what people should be concerning themselves with today instead of this non-issue? The credit card and personal information of 77 MILLION users that was stolen from the Sony network this week. Now THAT is an issue.

PS. Do you think Sony will get sued?

How about keeping on topic. This thread isn't about Sony. Start a thread elsewhere if you want to discuss it.

Thanks
 
I am not defending Full of Win. I sincerely am not.

But some people should keep in mind that it's entirely possible to love a company's products while not liking part or all of the actual company or how they operate on given occasions.

It's very easy for some here to just throw out the term troll and hater just because someone isn't accepting of Apple's PR, etc.

Now go ahead an tag this with your "-1" too :)

Your point is quite valid, but this is specifically directed at Full of Win who has a long history of making anti-Apple comments here. It's certainly true that he might like their products and hate the company that makes it. His comments are so over the top, so factually slanted, that he gets criticized for it.

Either he is sincere, in which he might take the advice to heart. Or he is trolling, in which case he is already doing precisely what he set out to do, in which case nothing will change.
 
It was funny to me when this started and people were talking about jailbreaking and making it so this file could not be written.

People were actually willing to make their phones not work properly because of their ignorance and paranoia.

By the way I missing the part were Jobs said this was an oversight on Apple's part. From the part quoted here, it essentially says, working as intended.


Whether there was good intent or not, I'm just thankful I installed untrackerd from Cydia; it continuously wipes the location file. JB FTW!

Speaking of the people I mentioned above... LOL. Seriously. You are impairing the functionality of your phone because you think ANYONE cares what cell towers you might have been near... In your case the ability to jailbreak is a bad thing.
 
Last edited:
Weren't they made aware of this almost a year ago? That's a long time to address an oversight.

A book was written in 2010 called iOS Forensic Analysis which talked about it. You can read the pages about the consolidated.db here. That's what Levinson is calling the new 'researchers' out about.

So the question is, did anyone in a position of power at Apple read that book? And if so, did it hit them that it might become an issue? Obviously it never hit the developer who did it :)

Actually the recent news about the location db is a completely unrelated issue.

The db is what's being talked about, because it's the cache.

2. Your phone dynamically creates a local cache of known cell tower locations in order to aid in GPS triangulation (the "a" in aGPS). This is the recent hot topic and has been grossly misrepresented by the media. (Apple does not collect this data, because they sent it to you in the first place)

Arrgh, not again :) In this case, A-GPS only means that satellite status and orbit information comes from an assistance server on the internet. It does not require cell or wifi info to work. Those are separate methods. The correct term for the combination of them is "hybrid locating system".
 
How about keeping on topic. This thread isn't about Sony. Start a thread elsewhere if you want to discuss it.

Thanks

I'm simply stating the point that I don't understand how people can keep debating this "issue" when there are CLEARLY more important things to talk about. I think because Apple is so successful they get picked on by the media and other Company's seem to get a free pass.

...And just because I have "newbie" next to my name doesn't mean I don't know how forums work buddy.
 
Whether there was good intent or not, I'm just thankful I installed untrackerd from Cydia; it continuously wipes the location file. JB FTW!

Have you noticed any issues without having this file? It seems to make sense this location tracking has benefits for performance of the phone in regards to signal acquisition.
 
It was funny to me when this started and people were talking about jailbreaking and making it so this file could not be written.

People were actually willing to make their phones not work properly because of their ignorance and paranoia.

By the way I missing the part were Jobs said this was an oversight on Apple's part. From the part quoted here, it essentially says, working as intended.

The issue is being deliberately overblown. There are a myriad other ways people are and have been "tracked". In this case, there isn't even any tracking going on, and the info that is stored WILL HAVE ZERO EFFECT ON THE AVERAGE USER. That's the kicker. It doesn't really affect anyone materially, tangibly, practically. But it *hints* that somewhere, somehow, there's a log indicating you were in the vicinity of certain cell phone towers. Which is about as worrisome as HR at work logging your hours!

The info is practically useless in terms of actually "tracking" your exact position, but so long as there is a snowball's chance of misconstruing it, a bunch of idiots *will* misconstrue it . . . because they're sick and tired of Apple showing up the rest of the industry as retards, and Apple users announcing the same. We have a group of tech geeks here who think everyone is equal, every device is wonderful and has its place, and every company should play fair with each other. So they come out and try to equalize everything and downplay enthusiasm they deem as inappropriate. It's hilarious.
 
All the while the real Big Brother, Google, gets surprisingly little scrutiny from the American press.

Well a huge part of that reason is Google responded fairly quickly when ask and kept a smaller file.
On the other hand Apple stayed complete silent hoping it would blow over, kept a larger file and refused to respond until it got pretty out of hand. Now they got caught and press kept on them.
Google kept the press off by responding early on with their reasons and that made them happy. Apple was silent.
 
I'm simply stating the point that I don't understand how people can keep debating this "issue" when there are CLEARLY more important things to talk about. I think because Apple is so successful they get picked on by the media and other Company's seem to get a free pass.

...And just because I have "newbie" next to my name doesn't mean I don't know how forums work buddy.

"Buddy" I didn't even notice your join date nor do I care.

There are more important things to talk about than a white iPhone - yet there are threads upon threads.

For one - this is an Apple community - not a Sony one.

Second - Starting to deflect the issue by comparing it to Sony is taking the thread off topic.

No one's getting a free pass.
 
dude....give it up...please sell your iPhone and 3g iPad and ANY apple device you have and LEAVE MACrumors for good. its for the better

Really, youre beating him up for his perspective? Yes, FullofWin is critical of Apple; but this is a discussion forum with varying opinions (which I appreciate).

Perhaps you should start posting your own comments in a private Word Document...at least theyd be valued by one person.
 
I am not defending Full of Win. I sincerely am not.

But some people should keep in mind that it's entirely possible to love a company's products while not liking part or all of the actual company or how they operate on given occasions.

It's very easy for some here to just throw out the term troll and hater just because someone isn't accepting of Apple's PR, etc.

Now go ahead an tag this with your "-1" too :)

Not on topic here... but I don't necessarily hit "+/-1" depending on whether I like a post or not.

I tend to just go around and move the counters back to 0 :D It's like a game, and when they're all back to 0 I magically win! :cool:
 
You know what people should be concerning themselves with today instead of this non-issue? The credit card and personal information of 77 MILLION users that was stolen from the Sony network this week. Now THAT is an issue.

PS. Do you think Sony will get sued?

This aint CNN pal...the site is dedicated to APPLE related rumors/news.
But hey, Ive been wrong once before:rolleyes:
 
Maybe some people will calm down if Steve finally produces his real birth certificate.
 
Another BS reply from Jobs...all the tip toe-ing around the questions and answers.

I don't expect him to come out and admit all the bad/evil/unethical things Apple is doing regarding this topic, but he had to come out and say something otherwise people (possibly rightly) will think Apple is evil.

As it was said tons of times, privacy is important. If something is being done to "track" me (no matter what other fancy terms they use for "track" or how much they down play it as some technical necessity) they are still tracking me. Period. Where that data goes and how it's used and how I am tracked should 100% be written in plain English before purchasing said product.

We're not idiots...of course the iPhone needs to figure out where I am when I ask Google to locate me on a map...or explicitly allow an app (like AroundMe) to identify restaurants within 15 miles of my location. But to constantly track me every single minute of the day is just wrong. Period. End of story.

Very likely this Federal lawsuit will pave the way for much clear disclosure by companies regarding tracking our physical movements.
 
In regards to Education...

Steve as well as everyone else who aspires to things of a more intellectual nature knows. The USA is dedicated to everything $$$ but education. Sadly, society's inability to understand these technological processes and systems. Will only worsen as America becomes even dumber. Their is no motive in this society to match education with technology. Most people have no clue as to what all of this technical jargon means even on a basic level. Indeed computers are becoming easier to use for many people. But technology is still intimidation for so many. The possibility of groups attacking tech industry leaders is not so outrageous. It a sense it becomes a lot like a Frankenstein Witch hunt. Because that is how many people still view those who are involved in the tech field. We are considered 'un-natural', 'Geeks", "nerds", weirdos and worse. There is a general distrust in society for technology in general and its creators. The recent Playstation fiasco reflects that as well. And in a way these corporation do hold to golden key over many people's lives. Given the rate at which people continue to depend on technology for their day to day lives.

I dont know, maybe I am totally wrong. :eek:
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.