All this time, the iPhone that you have always kept really close to your heart, has been watching, rather stalking you. Security researchers revealed that since the iOS 4 update, iPhone has been tracking your location down and storing it in a secret hidden file which is replicated to your computer once it’s synchronized with your device.
The file contains data about your latitude and longitude along with the timestamp. This information can be easily accessed by jailbreaking the phone, unfortunately, on the computer even without that. Moreover, the file is not encrypted and can be read by just anyone using a simple app.
Although, similar information is also stored by your mobile carriers but that data is kept confidential and encrypted. Furthermore, the data is only supposed to be used by law enforcing agencies.
One of the researchers who conducted this experiment and discovered the file said
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,
It is unclear why the data is stored because it’s not sent back to Apple. It is assumed Apple probably has no interest in knowing where their users go or what do they do in their evenings. The data is probably collected for a feature that will be included in the upcoming iOS devices. It may also be used for geographical based advertisements.
In either case, this is a serious breach of Apple’s users’ privacy and a worrying discovery.
(Thanks Justin Bordoff | Via Guardian)
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