Apple collecting, sharing iPhone users' precise locations | Technology | Los Angeles Times
Apple Inc. is now collecting the "precise," "real-time geographic location" of its users' iPhones, iPads and computers.
In an updated version of its privacy policy, the company added a paragraph noting that once users agree, Apple and unspecified "partners and licensees" may collect and store user location data.
When users attempt to download apps or media from the iTunes store, they are prompted to agree to the new terms and conditions. Until they agree, they cannot download anything through the store.
The company says the data is anonymous and does not personally identify users. Analysts have shown, however, that large, specific data sets can be used to identify people based on behavior patterns.
I don't mean to sound paranoid but privacy-issues should be discussed and not hidden in a opaque privacy policy. The problem with this kind of functionality is that even if its used properly by Apple, there can be legal pressure applied on them to release the data - or it could be stolen. I'd rather not have this functionality and data so readily available.
It should be noted, and is in the end of the article, that Google does more or less the same with their Android-phones as well.
Update: Other blog and news sources make the point that Apple keeps the data anonymized and that this type of policy and wording is needed for apps like Google Maps and Foursquare to work. Anonymizing efficiently is surprisingly hard given enough data - if you track my daily life any wannabe-detective could figure out who I am. Other experiments such as AOL releasing search data and Netflix releasing movie-watching data shows that you can analyze the data to break anonymity.
Then again, if you trust the Steve, he has a reasonable take on location-privacy:
We worry a lot about location in phones," Jobs said. "We have rejected a lot of apps that want to take your personal data and suck it up into the cloud. A lot of people in the Valley think we are really old-fashioned about that, and maybe we are. Privacy means people know what they are signing up for in plain English...Some people want to share more data. Ask them. Ask them every time. Let them know precisely what you are going to do with their data."
From this years D: All Things Digital Conference, via news.cnet.com
