I was listening to “Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me,” this morning and was surprised when I heard that iPads and iPhones were recording their location and the data was stored in an unprotected file. Alasdair Allan and Pete Warden wrote the story “Got an iPhone or 3G iPad? Apple is recording your moves.” The article said that the recordings were not only the devices geographic location but also the time. According to Apple, the reason the data was collected to was provide and improve the company’s service, which is understandable. The company was also forthright about collecting the data a year ago in a detailed letter according to an article on Wired.com.
But what is troubling is that the company has a year’s worth of data and the question is to what end. Once the necessary information is sent to Apple and that information is used to improve the company’s service there seems to be no reason why the data is stored on the device. Having that information stored creates unnecessary risks for Apple’s customers. For example, if the device is stolen or is hacked into, or someone has access to the device, then the data stored on the iPad or iPhone provides information about the owner’s movements.
Do you think that the Apple should store such data and do you think that it creates unnecessary security risks or invades one’s privacy?
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