Jeff Campbell
04-25-2011, 06:59 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.cultofmac.com/steve-jobs-iphone-locationgate-is-false-but-android-tracks-you/91995?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+cultofmac/bFow+(Cult+of+Mac)' target='_blank'>http://www.cultofmac.com/steve-jobs...w+(Cult+of+Mac)</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"In a typically terse email to a concerned iPhone customer, Apple CEO Steve Jobs thundered down some authoritative wisdom about the so-called iPhone LocationGate scandal: Apple isn't tracking anyone, and if you think that Android isn't tracking you, think again."</em></p><p><img height="381" src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/at/auto/1303754285.usr105634.jpg" style="margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 50px;" width="500" /></p><p><em>Image Credit: Ihnatko.com</em></p><p><a href="http://forums.thoughtsmedia.com/f379/no-big-surprise-ipad-3g-iphone-tracking-recording-location-108207.html" target="_blank">We reported about this last week</a>, and now Jobs has weighed in with this comment when asked if an iPhone owner should switch to Droid since, according to the iPhone owner, <em>"they don't track me." </em>Jobs reply? <em> "Oh yes they do. We don't track anyone. The info circulating around is false." </em>Jobs is right about Google since, <a href="http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Google-Leverages-Location-Data-for-Local-Search-Maps-829343/?kc=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+RSS/tech+(eWEEK+Technology+News)" target="_blank">according to Google</a>, they do track the "anonymized" data and use it to "<em>improve search and Web services."</em> But according to <a href="http://www.electronista.com/articles/11/04/25/android.simultaneously.guilty.says.ceo/" target="_blank">this story</a>, what Google is gathering might involve more precise and not so anonymized data.</p><p>I think by now we know that, even if it is imprecise tracking, iOS is still tracking you. And this appears to have garnered interest from other countries as <a href="http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/04/25/ios_location_data_prompts_investigations_of_apple_in_south_korea_europe.html" target="_blank">South Korea and countries in Europe are also investigating</a> and want answers from Apple and Jobs. If you want to find out what is in your file, head on over to <a href="http://petewarden.github.com/iPhoneTracker/" target="_blank">this</a><a href="http://petewarden.github.com/iPhoneTracker/" target="_blank"> site</a> and you can get a <a href="http://ihnatko.com/2011/04/20/hey-wonderful-theres-a-location-tracking-file-on-my-iphone/" target="_blank">nifty map</a> of all of the locations you have visited. Since someone would actually have to have possession of your iPhone to get this data, it might be a good idea to make sure it is encrypted as well, and in case you weren't aware, it is done by connecting your iPhone/iPad to your computer, opening iTunes, scrolling down to "options" and making sure that "encrypt iPhone backup" is checked, If it isn't, check it and set password, then make sure to sync it up. Pretty simple for some extra protection. </p>