iOS 4 remembers everywhere you go.
If you've carried an iPhone in your pocket over the last year, then every one of your moves has been tracked and recorded by the Apple device.
Security researchers Alasdair Allan and Pete Warden have uncovered a file that the iPhone and iPad 3G use to record your location history for as far back as the user has been running iOS 4. For iPhone 4 users, that means ever since they got the phone.
What's even more startling is that this location file is synced and stored by the iTunes computer and then carried through for as long as the user retains this backup. This means that it can be continually updated even if the user upgrades and changes his device.
Thus far Apple has not yet commented on why it introduced this location recording functionality in iOS 4. What Apple does mention in its 15,200-word iTunes user agreement is something to do with location-based services.
"Apple and our partners and licensees may collect, use, and share precise location data, including the real-time geographic location of your Apple computer or device. This location data is collected anonymously in a form that does not personally identify you and is used by Apple and our partners and licensees to provide and improve location-based products and services. For example, we may share geographic location with application providers when you opt in to their location services."
The authors have blogged about this matter at O'Reilly Radar and have even made an open source program that can use to read the file stored by the iPhone/iPad and iTunes and show exactly where you've been with your device in the last year.
Read more at the Guardian.
If you ever lose your iPhone, or your iTunes gets hacked, or your MacBook gets stolen/hacked, all a would-be thief has to do is open that file and he'll know exactly when you'll be out of your house, and for how long, perfect for a home invasion.
This is something that needs to be explained, but I think some people are overreacting with the completely inaccurate information this file captures.
note: I DO NOT own an iPhone or an iPad.
No one really cares where you've been, where you are or where you're going, quantum. If they want to break into your house they'll just have to watch you drive away in your car.
I would guess that 99% of the population don't want to be tracked wherever they go and have it stored for several reasons, you claim 99% of the population is criminals for wanting to protect their freedom? What agency/advertisement company do you work for?
Ever heard of civil liberties?
Tell you what if you are so happy with this let's have the Government implant a GPS chip in every newborn baby
Then fingerprint everyone regardless of crimes being committed or not
Your DNA being kept on file
And a CCTV camera installed in your bedroom
...
what a 'tard...
Considering that the Eula is accepted when the hardware is purchased/used the user sells away that part of their freedom voluntarily, and then considering how much effort Apple have put into protecting the gathered data and that it's even copied to the computer on synchronization tells me all i need to know how much Apple care about their customers privacy...
Creepy... and to think they were bitching about Google as being evil for storing some wifi hotspots locations. I dont carry the wifi hotsopt with me, but this is a cellphone, it's supposed to be on you.
Apple offers a remote wipe feature for free to iPhone 4 and iPad users. iPhone 3GS users can get this functionality if they subscribe to Apple's MobileMe. If you're silly enough to lose your iPhone or it gets stolen then you just activate the remote wipe as fast as you can.
The tracking is mostly useful for finding your iPhone if it gets lost/stolen. This could prove helpful to the Police.
The one synced to the home PC is unencrypted yet identical, so the fact that it is encrypted the iPhone doesn't make it secure.
Umm how about someone using this info they got from your Iphone to track you and rob/kidnap or whatever you when they know you go by a certain place.