Q-Tel smart location tracking

San Francisco — the revelation this week, the iPhone and iPad devices popular Apple s save files of the users of location information raises legal and ethical questions. By Ahn young-John, AP

Apple and Google says the only location is a collection of data is kept anonymous.

By Ahn young-John, AP

Apple and Google says the only location is a collection of data is kept anonymous.

The company has not commented, but bamhalokt said the company only collects location data remains anonymous and can not be tied back to specific users. Google said it about where data is stored on smartphones running the Android software. Both companies have maintained the practice clearly described in their privacy policy.Here's an overview of the significance of the problem for you, and what you can do to protect your location data, as well as ease of compromise that entails.Asked: what Apple collection?Reply: technically, Apple itself is collecting very little. Depending on the company letter sent to Congress last year, Apple only collects information about the location of nearby cell towers and Wi-Fi networks. He says that the data is anonymized so that it isn t connected a phone user s. However, security researchers have discovered that the iPhones iPads to store geospatial coordinates practice and at least a year.Q: what happens to this information?A: information appears to remain on the devices themselves, but also move computers that synchronize the device. This concerns yourself security experts because the information is passed in an unencrypted form, making it a target for hackers. Who specialize in hacking the products Apple s say difficult to steal the remote file due to security changes made recently to Apple. However, anyone with physical access to the phone device has been lost or stolen can easily see the data.Q: what can I do to prevent this information collected?A: Fortunately, it's easy to turn off the ability to trace through the menus and settings. Same goes for phones built bandroaid Google's operating software. Unfortunately, this cripples so many applications make smart smartphones in the first place, such as maps, Foursquare social media service. Disabling tracking means won t these applications have access to GPS, making them useless.Q: what do his party about follow-up?A: for now, a few rules apply. Federal Communications law prohibits the sharing of customer data, including information about location, with third parties without the consent of the customer of telephone companies. These rules still apply to Apple, and other device manufacturers or on the new mobile ecosystem of applications made by third-party developers. What's more, that these rules were written for phone service, it's not clear if they apply to mobile broadband service at all well for wireless carriers such as AT&T, with Verizon. FCC Federal Trade Committee say they are considering this issue.

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