Everywhere you go, your iPhone and your 3G iPad is keeping a record of your movements.
According to The Guardian, researchers have discovered a secret file in the iOS operating system that automatically and regularly records your location along with a time-stamp.
The file is then transferred to your computer when you sync your device using iTunes.
The researchers say it appears the iPhone and the 3G iPad the only mobile devices to keep such a record. They've looked for one on Android devices and it's not there.
Pete Warden and Alasdair Allan say the system seems to have been introduced with the iOS4 update and the location info is transferred onto any new iDevice you buy when you first sync it.
They say it appears no information is sent to Apple. But exactly why the file is stored isn't known.
"Apple has made it possible for almost anybody – a jealous spouse, a private detective – with access to your phone or computer to get detailed information about where you've been," said Warden.The researchers have created a website where you can download an app to access the data your iDevice has gathered.
Of course, all network carriers keep similar information on all mobile phone users, even though they'll usually only release it to the police. Networks don't ask our permission, and neither has Apple.
That's where Cupertino has gone wrong. Lots of users would let Apple collect the data on their iPhones, if it was going to be useful in some way...like making a location-based app work better. But users must be asked first for their permission. Surely.
(Via: The Guardian)
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