Steve Jobs: ‘We Don’t Track Anyone’

Reuters

Apple still has no official statements on the issue of iPhone location tracking, but that hasn’t stopped Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs from reportedly throwing down a few words of his own.

A reader of Macrumors claims to have e-mailed Jobs with concerns:

“Could you please explain the necessity of the passive location-tracking tool embedded in my iPhone? It’s kind of unnerving knowing that my exact location is being recorded at all times. Maybe you could shed some light on this for me before I switch to a Droid. They don’t track me.”

To which Jobs apparently responded:

“Oh yes they do. We don’t track anyone. The info circulating around is false.”

That statement requires some parsing. The issue with the iPhone is twofold: First, there’s the garden-variety location tracking that goes on when you enable location-based services such as Foursquare or “Current Location” in Maps. On Android and iOS, Google and Apple respectively collect this data, which is anonymous and not tied to personal information. Apple confirmed this behavior in a letter to Congress (obtained by Wired) last year.

The other issue — the one that caused this whole brouhaha — is a local file that reveals a lengthy history of the user’s approximate whereabouts, using cell phone tower triangulation. This file is stored on the iPhone and a synced PC, and it’s unencrypted by default.

On both matters, Jobs’ statement is at least partially correct. Apple isn’t tracking users, because the data collected is anonymous. But the issue with the local file is that it’s out in the open for anyone with access to the user’s PC — say, an employer or suspicious spouse. If the computer falls into the wrong hands, so does the data.

The other part of Jobs’ statement (“Oh yes they do”) seems inaccurate. As Google explained to the Wall Street Journal, Android users’ whereabouts are tied to a unique ID, but it’s anonymous and not associated with any other personal information. Wiping the phone resets the ID.

In fairness, there’s a lot of misinformation out there. For consumers, it’s easy to glance at this topic and think “my goodness, Apple knows where I’ve been,” but that’s not the case. For Apple, it must be frustrating to see politicians ask questions that have already been answered.

Of course, Apple could’ve cleared the air early on with a statement of its own, but transparency and communication isn’t in the company’s DNA.

(via The Next Web)

thebonafortuna

That’s good and fine. But the fact the information is stored and backed up means it can be subpenaed (just like Fast Pass/EZpass, and a growing number of other services we’re all signing up for). It’s starting to creep me out.

It’s actually a deal breaker for me. I was giving some thought to picking up a Macbook, which I hear is also tracking people. That won’t happen so long as they’re tracking and storing everywhere it goes with me. No thanks.
http://caffeine.shugendo.org/ Lefty

I still believe that this story has been kind of overblown.

I made a slightly modified version of the program used to map my own ten months’ worth of data to show it a little more accurately (i.e. not fudging the location, showing it as it was added, rather than by the week).

I made a video to show my own location data, so you could see what it looks like in better detail than people have been able to get so far. I’ve also provided a link to my modified version of Pete Warden’s iPhoneTracker app, for anyone who’d like to see the data from their own iPhone this way, as well as the source code changes, so you can build it for yourself if you like.

Having seen this, I don’t feel that my privacy’s been TOO invaded: the “tracking” information stored in this file is extremely low-resolution, both in time and space. But let me know what you think…

http://caffeine.shugendo.org/2011/04/24/iphone-spyphone-the-video/
pks29733steel

Mr. Jobs, you shouldn’t have been doing it in the first place unless you had your subsribers permission!!!! Seems like ‘Smart Phones’ being sold by ‘Stupid People’. So you ‘say’ you won’t track anymore. Sorry, too little, too late. Thousands of other ‘Smart Phones’ and alot with the ‘touch screen of glass that breaks in a case’. I’d rathe shop around and deal with a carrier that respects it’s customer’s rights!!!!
http://www.jarednewman.com Jared Newman

@thebonafortuna

Pretty much every online service allows itself room to cooperate with law inforcement, including Gmail, Twitter, etc.

Wireless carriers do this as well, letting police access access gps data through automated systems. (Read this: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/12/revelation_8_million_gps_searches_on_sprint_by_law.php)

If you don’t want your activities susceptible to gov’t eyes, you pretty much can’t participate in the Internet or own a cell phone.
alex6500

I think all the new type smart cell phones are great.Me i just use the older type with no www access/
thebonafortuna

@Jared, wow, thanks for the link, your point is acknowledged. Will check it out.

I knew that about Gmail and Twitter, etc. That all makes sense, and I don’t really have a problem with court ordered information being accessible for law enforcement. I didn’t realize they collected that much GPS information with cell phones, though. Is that also done with “dumb” cell phones, too?