Bite Out Of The Apple

The story about Apple gadgets consolidating personal information into a handy file that records location and other details has made major news.  I waited to see what would actually come to light after a little research had been done.  At first, I thought the story was being blown out of proportion.  CNN ran a helpful "what you need to know" article, and after reading it over I am reconsidering my original "meh" reaction.

Though nothing was being done with the data and it doesn't appear that Apple accesses or uses that information, the company has been strangely quiet about their reasons.  While not always on target, Apple is usually pretty fast to speak up.  That leads to two possible outcomes that I can think of: either they really had no clue at all or they don't know how to answer truthfully and keep a good spin on it.  I can't think of a good reason for them to have remained quiet.

Though the data wasn't currently being used, the justified concern is how exploitable the information is.  Tracking whereabouts and time stamping is bad juju.

Mobile phone companies also collect this type of data, but, as the researchers point out, that data "normally requires a court order to gain access to it, whereas this is available to anyone who can get their hands on your phone or computer."

The location file is unencrypted, so anyone with access to your phone or computer could, in theory, get access to it and know where you've been. The researchers, in their report, say Apple has "made it possible for anyone from a jealous spouse to a private investigator to get a detailed picture of your movements."

I am still holding out on the hope that there is something that will make this all come together into a logical train of thought.  But it would have to be darned good at this point, because this is shaping up to be a stinker.  At best it is a gross oversight, at worst it is a new low for consumer privacy.