locationgate
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Daily Update for August 17, 2011
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top stories of the day in three to five minutes, which is perfect for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
27 thousand South Koreans sue Apple over privacy concerns
About 27,000 South Koreans are suing Apple over privacy violations related to Locationgate, the location-tracking scandal that hit Apple earlier this year. Apple revealed that a software bug was collecting location information from cell phone towers and Wi-Fi hotspots and storing it on the phone without user authorization. This data was also transferred to the computer when a user synced their handset via iTunes. Acknowledged by Apple as glitch, this data collection was fixed in a subsequent update to iOS 4. Unfortunately for Apple, this location-tracking violates South Korean law. Apple paid three million won to the Korea Communications Commission and was successfully sued by lawyer Kim Hyeong-seok. Kim was awarded one million won ($930) by the courts. Now that he has one victory under his belt, Kim is ready to try again. This time with 27,000 people. If successful, Kim could net his clients about 27.6 billion won (about US$25.7 million as of this writing) total.
South Korea to fine Apple over location tracking
South Korea has fined Apple 3 million won (US$2,829) for the company's practice of tracking location information on the iPhone. The Korea Communications Commission investigated Apple after locationgate broke earlier this year. The agency found that Apple continued to collect user's location information even though they had turned off GPS on their handsets. Apple has not responded to this ruling and may not agree to pay the fine. This ruling sets a dangerous precedent that could be used by other countries and people in similar cases against Apple. Just last month, Apple made a small payment (1 million won or $946) to a South Korean man over the same location issue.
Apple makes first 'locationgate' legal payout, less than $1,000
Apple has made its first legal payout to an iPhone user after being accused of collecting and storing location data last year. A South Korean man is the recipient, apparently, of a settlement consisting of a whopping 1 million won, which only turns out to be about US$946 (as of this writing). Still, this is the first legally required payout on Apple's part -- the check was signed last month by Apple Korea, apparently. There is also a class action lawsuit in Korea that's attempting to get off the ground (though was stymied, apparently, by a site that went down under the traffic), and, especially with the news of this payout, there's probably other legal action going on around the rest of the world as well. Don't be too quick to dial up that lawyer, though -- Korea has some pretty strict data sharing laws, and collecting location information like this from users is clearly illegal there, whereas in the U.S. or other countries, the law might not be so clear on what companies can and can't do with user data. It's unlikely that this is the last payout Apple will make, but just because they paid here doesn't mean they'll be losing every judgement on this one.
Senator Al Franken asks iOS developers to provide "clear and understandable privacy policies"
Following up on requests he made to Apple and Google in his hearing on mobile privacy earlier this month, US Senator Al Franken wrote a letter to the companies' respective CEOs asking them to require all software sold through the App Store and Android App Market to provide consumers with "clear and understandable privacy policies." Franken conceded that most customers never read the legal notices packaged with apps or think to look for a privacy statement for each (or any) app they install. He added that privacy notices alone wouldn't address all of the senator's privacy concerns. Even so, he observed that Apple and Google are market leaders capable of taking this "simple first step towards protecting [their] users' privacy." Requiring each app to transparently disclose what information it collects, how the data is used and who it is shared with would help attentive consumers, privacy advocates and federal authorities better understand how mobile software accesses and uses personal information. The senator concluded by urging Apple and Google to, at a minimum, make privacy policies a strict requirement for all location aware applications, implying it would be more feasible to address his privacy concerns within a subset of all software offered through Apple and Google's app catalogs. After all, Franken's hearings followed a highly publicized bug in iOS that caused location data to be stored in an unencrypted file on the device. Apple fixed the bug in a recent software update. Finally, Franken reminded Apple and Google of their commitments to protecting the privacy of their customers. "Apple and Google have each said time and again that they are committed to protecting users' privacy," Franken wrote. "This is an easy opportunity for your companies to put that commitment into action." [via The Loop]
Apple and Google headed for round two with Senate privacy hearings
Following the first round of Senate hearings on privacy last week, representatives from Apple and Google will appear before the US Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance on May 19, according to CNET. In attendance for Apple will be Vice President of Worldwide Government affairs Catherine Novelli, while Google is sending its director of public policy for the Americas, Alan Davidson. Facebook is also attending this round of privacy hearings, sending its Chief Technology Officer, Bret Taylor. Microsoft apparently wasn't asked to attend. The hearing will address "consumer privacy and protection in the mobile marketplace," and unlike the first round of privacy hearings, the US Department of Justice isn't in attendance. No doubt the recent "Locationgate" controversy will be addressed in spite of Apple addressing it to a large extent with the recent iOS 4.3.3 software update. However, given that a representative from Facebook is in attendance this time, it's possible the hearing will focus on more generalized attitudes toward consumer privacy from the main pillars of the tech community. Google didn't appear to fare particularly well during the first round of hearings; its representative's repeated refrains of "openness" wound up being about the worst argument the company could put forward during a hearing on privacy matters. If the Senate chooses to focus on online advertising, particularly in light of recently introduced "do not track" legislation, both Google and Facebook may find themselves beneath a very uncomfortable microscope. That's not to say that Apple is entirely blameless in privacy matters, but with "Locationgate" largely out of the spotlight, it's possible Apple won't be the central focus of this next round of hearings.
Apple's Bud Tribble will testify before Senate committee, says Franken
In the ongoing commotion around location, privacy and what your iPhone knows about what you did last summer, the witness list for upcoming Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearings on mobile privacy has been announced. Senator Al Franken's (D-MN) office told The Loop that Apple's VP of software technology, Guy L. "Bud" Tribble, will be there, along with regulators, privacy advocates and Google's VP of public policy. Franken invited the companies to send representatives to his hearing a couple of weeks ago, as the location issues were making news. Tribble has been on the hot seat before when it comes to Congressional oversight of digital privacy; he appeared at a similar hearing last summer, alongside Facebook's CTO and Google's lead privacy engineer. He's also one of the longest-serving Apple and NeXT veterans, and is credited with identifying the legendary Reality Distortion Field power of Steve Jobs. Perhaps he should borrow the field generator for his testimony. The hearings will begin on May 10 at 10 am Eastern time. If you're watching on C-SPAN, keep an eye on the senators as Tribble enters the room... the ones that recoil and run away are almost certainly Klingons.
Apple looking to hire "iOS Maps Application Developer"
Apple has posted a new job opening for an iOS Maps Application Developer. Last December, Apple posted a job opening stating it was looking for someone who had "experience developing navigation software," but this is the first time Apple has explicitly stated it's looking for a Maps developer. The job listing doesn't drop any hints as to what future features Maps might include, but the listing is a sign in itself that Apple is gearing up to significantly update or revamp its Maps app. A revamped Maps app has been rumored ever since Apple acquired the mapping and navigation companies PlaceBase and Poly9 in 2009 and 2010. Then, just last week, the latest hints of what is to come emerged when Apple stated that it was using some of the locationgate data "to build a crowd-sourced traffic database with the goal of providing iPhone users an improved traffic service in the next couple of years." Maps are an import feature for any smartphone, and while iOS does offer one of the better mapping apps out there, it's nice to see Apple isn't content with the status quo. And if anyone at Apple is reading this, might I make a humble suggestion? The ability to save routes and download country tile packs would be a huge bonus for international travelers. [via MacNN]
Verizon to put location warning sticker on iPhones
Expect to peel off one more warning sticker when you buy an iPhone from Verizon Wireless. In a letter dated April 19, 2011, and addressed to U.S. congressmen Ed Markey and Joe Barton, Verizon detailed the processes it uses to protect customer privacy and revealed plans to begin adhering the warning sticker pictured here to any new device capable of tracking its owner's location. In March, in response to a New York Times article describing how a German mobile phone company tracked one of its customers, Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, and Joe Barton, a Texas Republican, contacted the four major wireless carriers in the U.S. for explanations about how and why mobile location data would be tracked and used. The congressmen, co-Chairmen of the House Bi-Partisan Privacy Caucus, published the four companies' responses on April 28. Each carrier admitted to storing device location data for some amount of time -- from a few days to several years -- and all offered safeguards and disclosures detailing how personally identifying customer information is secured. However, the carriers could not guarantee the privacy of location data within third party applications, prompting Verizon to suggest its warning label. Mobile customer privacy concerns exploded into a hot topic about two weeks ago when researchers announced the existence of a file in iOS 4 containing a history of the device's approximate location over time -- which turned out, according to Apple, to merely represent WiFi hotspots and cell towers up to 100 miles from the actual phone location. Although Apple's "locationgate" began after Verizon designed its warning labels, the wireless carrier's letter and forthcoming sticker are a coincidentally timely response to the growing brouhaha about consumer privacy and mobile devices. [via CNN]
iOS 4.3.3 to fix location tracking issue, due soon
A rumor out of BGR suggests iOS 4.3.3 will land in the upcoming weeks. As expected, the update will fix the location tracking issue that blew up last week. In this public debacle, Apple confirmed cell tower and Wi-Fi hotspot information was being stored on the iPhone and 3G iPad to improve location fix acquisition. Apple promised to address these issues, and according to BGR, the changelog for 4.3.3 will include the following improvements: iTunes will no longer backup the location database to your desktop the location database will be smaller, reducing the amount of data stored on the handset the handset will delete the database when the Location Service option is turned off Besides the location information, the update will also improve battery life and fix some unidentified bugs with the iPod.
Talkcast tonight, 10 PM EDT/7 PM PDT/4 PM HDT: Casper Phone Edition!
It's that time again kids! This week we have TONS to talk about, from the actual release of the Ghost Phone to the dust-up over iPhones and their location tracking and everything in between. Tonight we have a special guest, too! Chatting with me and the other TUAW staffers about the news of the week will be Editor-At-Large of The Mac Observer, Jeff Gamet! WARNING: If you have a delicate constitution, I feel it is my duty to warn you that Mr. Gamet will not be wearing pants. Forewarned is forearmed and all of that. Keep in mind that when you come for the show, you are invited to stay for the aftershow, and TUAWTF is never recorded for a very good reason. Your calls and questions help us make the show the best it can be, otherwise I'm just talking to myself! To participate on TalkShoe, you can use the browser-only client, the embedded Facebook app, or download the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for maximum fun, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the Talkshoe Web button on our profile page at 4 HI/7 PDT/10 PM EDT Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (yay for free cell phone weekend minutes!): dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID, 45077 -- during the call, you can request to talk by keying in *8. If you've got a headset or microphone handy on your Mac, you can connect via the free Gizmo, X-Lite, or Blink SIP clients; basic instructions are here. Talk to you tonight!
How Apple does damage control
Typically, whenever something goes wrong with a company or its products and services, the company will try to head off a media free-for-all by releasing a brief statement that usually does only two things: it acknowledges that a problem exists and promises more information at a later date. But as Jason Snell at Macworld notes, Apple doesn't work that way. He notes that Apple's response to the so-called "locationgate" issue was almost identical to its reaction to "antennagate" last year. Instead of doing what everyone expected them to do, which was acknowledge the location tracking issue and promise a fix, Apple let the media have a field day for a week before releasing its official statement. Meanwhile, as Apple silently investigated reports of users' locations being stored on iOS devices and relatively easily accessed from their Macs after a backup, the media spent a week bellowing out various hysterical pronouncements with half-baked arguments supporting sensationalistic headlines, like the New Zealand Herald's Warning: iPhones can spy on you. At the same time, lawsuits ensued, Senators piled on, and even South Park got in on the action.
Apple responds to location tracking controversy
This morning, Apple officially responded to the location tracking controversy that has plagued the Cupertino company. [Apple executives, including Steve Jobs, spoke on the record with AllThingsD about the issue.] In a press release, Apple asserted that it is not tracking user locations (despite suggestions to the contrary). The 'configuration.db' file stored on the handset includes a database of local cell towers and WiFi hotspots; this cache is used to assist in location services and speed up the device's 'fix' in identifying where it is; a GPS-only fix without any hints from other information could date several minutes. The locations in the file don't represent the phone's actual location, according to Apple; the points recorded may be up to 100 miles away from the phone's true location. The fact that the location data is kept for so long? That's a bug, according to Apple. To ameliorate any further problems, Apple will issue a software update to: reduce the size of the crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower database cached on the iPhone cease backing up this cache delete this cache entirely when Location Services is turned off This update will land on handsets in the upcoming weeks. A future update will also encrypt this information and make it less readily available to spying eyes. The 'locationgate' tempest blew up last week when a pair of researchers published a report that revealed Apple was storing months worth of location data on the iPhone and 3G iPad. This information was originally discovered last year and flew under the radar until the iPhone Tracker app let users see the stored location data. This data moves from the phone to the user's computer when the iOS device syncs via iTunes. The iPhone Tracker app grabs the data from the user's computer and displays it in a map that was an eye-opener for most people. This revelation spurned an angry letter from Minnesota senator Al Franken and at least one lawsuit. Show full PR text April 27, 2011 08:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time Apple Q&A on Location Data CUPERTINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apple would like to respond to the questions we have recently received about the gathering and use of location information by our devices. 1. Why is Apple tracking the location of my iPhone? Apple is not tracking the location of your iPhone. Apple has never done so and has no plans to ever do so. 2. Then why is everyone so concerned about this? Providing mobile users with fast and accurate location information while preserving their security and privacy has raised some very complex technical issues which are hard to communicate in a soundbite. Users are confused, partly because the creators of this new technology (including Apple) have not provided enough education about these issues to date. 3. Why is my iPhone logging my location? The iPhone is not logging your location. Rather, it's maintaining a database of Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers around your current location, some of which may be located more than one hundred miles away from your iPhone, to help your iPhone rapidly and accurately calculate its location when requested. Calculating a phone's location using just GPS satellite data can take up to several minutes. iPhone can reduce this time to just a few seconds by using Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data to quickly find GPS satellites, and even triangulate its location using just Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data when GPS is not available (such as indoors or in basements). These calculations are performed live on the iPhone using a crowd-sourced database of Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data that is generated by tens of millions of iPhones sending the geo-tagged locations of nearby Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers in an anonymous and encrypted form to Apple. 4. Is this crowd-sourced database stored on the iPhone? The entire crowd-sourced database is too big to store on an iPhone, so we download an appropriate subset (cache) onto each iPhone. This cache is protected but not encrypted, and is backed up in iTunes whenever you back up your iPhone. The backup is encrypted or not, depending on the user settings in iTunes. The location data that researchers are seeing on the iPhone is not the past or present location of the iPhone, but rather the locations of Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers surrounding the iPhone's location, which can be more than one hundred miles away from the iPhone. We plan to cease backing up this cache in a software update coming soon (see Software Update section below). 5. Can Apple locate me based on my geo-tagged Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data? No. This data is sent to Apple in an anonymous and encrypted form. Apple cannot identify the source of this data. 6. People have identified up to a year's worth of location data being stored on the iPhone. Why does my iPhone need so much data in order to assist it in finding my location today? This data is not the iPhone's location data-it is a subset (cache) of the crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower database which is downloaded from Apple into the iPhone to assist the iPhone in rapidly and accurately calculating location. The reason the iPhone stores so much data is a bug we uncovered and plan to fix shortly (see Software Update section below). We don't think the iPhone needs to store more than seven days of this data. 7. When I turn off Location Services, why does my iPhone sometimes continue updating its Wi-Fi and cell tower data from Apple's crowd-sourced database? It shouldn't. This is a bug, which we plan to fix shortly (see Software Update section below). 8. What other location data is Apple collecting from the iPhone besides crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data? Apple is now collecting anonymous traffic data to build a crowd-sourced traffic database with the goal of providing iPhone users an improved traffic service in the next couple of years. 9. Does Apple currently provide any data collected from iPhones to third parties? We provide anonymous crash logs from users that have opted in to third-party developers to help them debug their apps. Our iAds advertising system can use location as a factor in targeting ads. Location is not shared with any third party or ad unless the user explicitly approves giving the current location to the current ad (for example, to request the ad locate the Target store nearest them). 10. Does Apple believe that personal information security and privacy are important? Yes, we strongly do. For example, iPhone was the first to ask users to give their permission for each and every app that wanted to use location. Apple will continue to be one of the leaders in strengthening personal information security and privacy. Software Update Sometime in the next few weeks Apple will release a free iOS software update that: reduces the size of the crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower database cached on the iPhone, ceases backing up this cache, and deletes this cache entirely when Location Services is turned off. In the next major iOS software release the cache will also be encrypted on the iPhone. NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information visit Apple's PR website (www.apple.com/pr), or call Apple's Media Helpline at (408) 974-2042. © 2011 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, iPhone and iTunes are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Blast from the past: Steve Jobs talks location privacy issues
With Locationgate hitting a frenzy, All Things D has gone back and cut a new video of Steve Jobs and Google mobile boss Andy Rubin talking about privacy and location tracking on mobile phones. The footage comes from the D8 Conference last June and at D: Dive Into Mobile in December. At All Things Digital, Jobs told Mossberg that Apple takes location data very seriously and that he believe privacy means that "people know what they're signing up for." Check out the collection of clips on the next page (word of warning, AllThingsD only provides the clip in Flash -- sorry, iOS readers). The insights are quite interesting given the current climate over location tracking.
Apple slapped with federal lawsuit over location tracking
Well, you knew this was coming. After all, suing Apple has become something of a favorite past time for individuals and companies. Bloomberg reports that two iPhone users have filed a federal lawsuit against Apple alleging invasion of privacy and computer fraud regarding the iPhone's ability to track and store cell phone tower data. Right now details are sparse, there's no word what kind of damages the plaintiffs are seeking, and Apple has not issued a statement on the lawsuit. However, with more and more "Locationgate" stories hitting the news daily, you can expect that Apple is working on, if not a solution, at least a response to the matter. UPDATE: Bloomberg has expanded its article, quoting an attorney for the plaintiffs as saying, "We take issue specifically with the notion that Apple is now basically tracking people everywhere they go. If you are a federal marshal you have to have a warrant to do this kind of thing, and Apple is doing it without one." The plaintiffs (an iPad and iPhone user) are asking a judge to bar Apple from recording location data and a refund for their devices, saying they would not have purchased them if they had known about the location tracking in iOS.
A roundup of today's "Locationgate" news
Last week's news that relatively imprecise cell phone tower location data from iPhones is stored in a file that is backed up onto your computer seems to be gathering a lot of attention. It was even the main topic of discussion on last night's TUAW Talkcast. "Locationgate" began when two researchers released a Mac app (iPhone Tracker) that not only finds the file on your computer, but also displays that information. The iPhone Tracker plot of my location information (seen above) shows that I seem to spend a lot of time in the Denver area. That's not surprising, since that's where I live. Bloomberg reported that the South Korean government has contacted Apple for information about location information collection. In South Korea, the collection of GPS coordinates violates privacy laws, so the government wants to know how the information is stored and whether users can choose to turn off the storage of location data. The Korea Communications Commission also wants to know why Apple captures the information and if it is stored on the company's servers. South Korea isn't the only country in which privacy advocates are up in arms -- French, American, German and Italian regulators also want to know why Apple collects the information. Razorian Fly notes that Apple has already explained why it collects and store this data in a letter to the US Congress last year. Basically, it's done so Apple has its own location services and is not dependent on Google or Skyhook for that information. It's this location data that your iPhone queries when it initially tries to figure out where it is, before the device locks onto the GPS satellite constellation.
