Posted by The Blogging Desk on Mon, Apr 25, 2011
Wired:
You should care about Apple's collection of geodata on iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch devices, because the method is flawed.
To be clear, "care" doesn't mean you should smash your iPhone with a hammer, rip out the GPS chip and gulp it down your throat. This isn't an issue of "Big Brother is watching."
It's just a matter of a security flaw that puts your location data at risk if it gets in the wrong hands -- not an immediate concern, but a concern nonetheless.
Two data scientists broke the news Wednesday that an unencrypted file stored on iOS devices contains a detailed log of the device's geographical data dating back 10 months. The scientists also wrote a program, allowing you to plug in your iOS device and automatically output the geodata into an interactive map, just so you could see for yourself.
Uh-oh, speghettiio. It seems like Apple is becoming the new Google, am I right?
It seems like the iPhone, our most favorite phone ever, is caching some location information every time you use a location services. For instance, if you use that awful Foursquare service to tag yourself at the local Dairy Queen. You need to enable this services yourself, mind you. From then on, Apple uses this stored information to improve the location services on the phone. The problem is, it doesn't automatically delete this information from your phone.
The folks that found this information created an app so that you can view your own year-long string of location info. I've seen a few screen shots online, and for travelers, it's pretty spooky. I haven't looked at my own database, mainly because it would just be a string of dots from home and work. I don't lead an extravagant life, you see. Though, trips to Starbucks are usually a big deal around the house.
It remains to be seen if Apple will comment on the matter, but various outlets suggest that it may be corrected with a software update. If you'd like to talk to Trigon about the security of your mobile devices, feel free to contact us.
