Saturday, April 30, 2011
The story of the iPhone that tracks the location of its users increasingly hot. This will trigger a new wave of privacy violations and make consumers wary of using location-based services.
Apple is under attack from consumers and lawmakers over the location of data collection via the iPhone. However, Apple continues to deny the devices to track the location of its users.
However, the company continues to move forward to reduce the amount of data stored on the device. The company also released Apple Q & A for Location Data. "Apple does not track the location of your iPhone. Apple has never done it and no plans to do so, "the company denies.
To provide accurate and quick for users of the iPhone while maintaining the security and privacy has caused some technical problems which are very complex and difficult to communicate, said the company.
Apple is very careful to find the time to explain the iPhone was never recorded the location of its users. Instead, Apple is keeping a database Wi-Fi and cellular towers around the location of the user.
Apple to 'guard' the user database at a distance of more than 160 miles from iPhone users for helping these sophisticated devices can quickly and accurately calculate the location when prompted.
The company describes the iPhone maker, cell phone location calculation that only uses GPS satellite data alone could take several minutes. iPhone could reduce the time a few seconds over Wi-Fi and cell-tower data.
In fact, Apple said, tracking the location with the use of Wi-Fi and cell-tower data when GPS is not available will not be able to determine the location, such as when in the room or the basement.
"These calculations are done directly on the iPhone utilizing the database of data Wi-Fi and cell-tower that generated tens of millions of iPhones. Especially when sending geotagged location at the closest point Wi-Fi and cell-tower in the form of an anonymous and encrypted to Apple, "explained the company.
Apple plans to release software updates in order to reduce the amount of data stored on the iPhone, and when the location service turned off, the phone will remove the hot-spot information and cell-tower there.
While Apple is being proactive about this issue, it was not just hers alone devices that store this type of information. Gartner analyst Michael Gartenberg said, all the smartphones on the market do the same.
In addition, he also said, wireless carriers also do the same. The problem mainly lies in how long the information is stored. Apple is currently fix the problem.
"It highlights the location and the privacy problem and the type of phone information that is sent back. Not just phones, as well as in mobile applications. This will cause some kind of backlash from consumers over several types of location-based services, "said Gartenberg.
Many location-based service transmits information about the owner. Worse, many consumers are not aware of it. This information includes a place to live, work, play, people who are associated and where you spend the money, he added.
"This can be a tremendous value for marketers. However, this would be a privacy nightmare for consumers, "he concluded.
