iPhone tracking: let the law suits begin!

[thewayne]

Two people, so far, have filed suit against Apple, and undoubtedly they'll seek (and probably get) class action status. I'm so surprised. *yawn*

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/04/iphone-customers-lawsuit-data/

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/137806/20110425/apple-hit-with-class-action-suit-over-tracking.htm


Meanwhile, Steve Jobs says 'we don't track anyone.' Steve is known for frequently responding to anyone sending him email, someone sent him the following and got a reply:

Q: Steve,

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.

A: Oh yes they do. We don't track anyone. The info circulating around is false.

Sent from my iPhone

Not a lot of meat there. The MacRumors article goes on to say "As many observers have noted, the iOS location database does not record exact GPS data, instead seeking to pinpoint the locations of Wi-Fi access points and cell towers that the device comes within range of, although the database does offer a clear general track of a user's movements."

http://www.macrumors.com/2011/04/25/steve-jobs-on-ios-location-issue-we-dont-track-anyone/

http://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/04/25/2118249/Steve-Jobs-We-Dont-Track-Anyone

Comments

[silveradept]

Um, Steve, when it's been proven that your devices do track and store data, the correct response is not to deny it wholesale.

[thewayne.livejournal.com]

There's some question as to whether or not the data is uploaded to Apple, and it appears that it is not. So, if this is true, the device tracks your actions in a general way (since it's using approximate GPS from cell tower and WiFi triangulation), but no one else has access to the info unless your cell or sync point is stolen or compromised. So his "WE do not track anyone" may be accurate as far as it goes.

[silveradept]

That's true. But an explanation like that would have still been loads better than a categorical denial.