This according to the Wall Street Journal which reports that even when location services are turned off on the iPhone, the phone is still collecting data about cell towers and wifi networks that are being used. So basically, there’s no way to prevent your phone from registering all the places you access connectivity. This was the conclusion of a study that the Journal ran, which also found no evidence that this data is being transmitted back to Apple. Leading one to wonder why the heck the phones are gathering data if not to be shared with someone? Seems like a waste of space on that phone. And just…weird. Apple continues to be silent on this.
There are loads of people by now saying that this issue is no big deal, what’s all the hubbub, and so on. But it does matter. There is no apparent reason the data is being gathered and it’s unencrypted and Apple is acting like the Kremlin guarding a state secret here.
Meanwhile, Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) is calling on Congress to investigate Apple and Google for this practice – he’s mostly concerned that this data will make it easier for predators to hack into the phone’s database and therefore make children more vulnerable. He said in a statement, “Apple needs to ensure that an iPhone doesn’t become an ‘iTrack’, and an iTrack doesn’t become an ‘iTragedy,’ especially for children and their families.” And South Korea’s communications regulator is looking into the matter as well to see if Apple is breaking any laws.
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