Apple moves to quell iPhone data collection fears: iPhone Data Collection : concerns Location-Data Collection Can’t Be Turned Off Fears Investigated.APPLE has moved to quell concerns that it is tracking iPhone users, saying it will reduce location data stored on the phone.The company also said it will fix what it called a software bug that led data to be stored on the device even when location services were turned off.Steve Jobs, Apple’s chief executive, said the company has “never transmitted” the precise location of iPhones to itself.
Apple defended the process it uses to gather location information via the iPhone and unveiled a software update to scale back such practices.In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Mr Jobs said Apple gathers information from the phone about nearby mobile-phone towers and local wireless, or Wi-Fi, networks.Apple uses that information to build a database that it then uses to quickly locate phones for services like maps.
Mr Jobs, who is on medical leave, said software “bugs” that enabled the iPhone to store months of location data and collect it even when the location services feature was turned off had been discovered in the last few days.Mr Jobs said Apple plans to testify before Congress to respond to questions about the collection and storage of mobile-phone location data.”Of course Apple will testify,” he said.Apple and Google, which makes the key software for Android phones, are facing scrutiny from lawmakers and consumers for the way they gather and handle data about the location of smartphones.
Researchers last week said Apple’s iPhones store unencrypted databases containing months of location information.According to tests conducted by the Journal, these databases were updated even when the phone’s location services were turned off.Beyond the information stored on the phone, the Journal also has reported that iPhones, Android phones and personal computers in some cases regularly transmit their locations back to the respective companies.Apple and Google have both previously said the location data collected via their phones is anonymous and not tied to a specific user.Apple said Wednesday an individual can’t be located using the Wi-Fi and mobile-phone data.
Apple defended the process it uses to gather location information via the iPhone and unveiled a software update to scale back such practices.In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Mr Jobs said Apple gathers information from the phone about nearby mobile-phone towers and local wireless, or Wi-Fi, networks.Apple uses that information to build a database that it then uses to quickly locate phones for services like maps.
Mr Jobs, who is on medical leave, said software “bugs” that enabled the iPhone to store months of location data and collect it even when the location services feature was turned off had been discovered in the last few days.Mr Jobs said Apple plans to testify before Congress to respond to questions about the collection and storage of mobile-phone location data.”Of course Apple will testify,” he said.Apple and Google, which makes the key software for Android phones, are facing scrutiny from lawmakers and consumers for the way they gather and handle data about the location of smartphones.
Researchers last week said Apple’s iPhones store unencrypted databases containing months of location information.According to tests conducted by the Journal, these databases were updated even when the phone’s location services were turned off.Beyond the information stored on the phone, the Journal also has reported that iPhones, Android phones and personal computers in some cases regularly transmit their locations back to the respective companies.Apple and Google have both previously said the location data collected via their phones is anonymous and not tied to a specific user.Apple said Wednesday an individual can’t be located using the Wi-Fi and mobile-phone data.
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