At issue is a feature of Io called “ frequent locations”—you could find it squirreled away underSettings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services > Frequent Locations . This feature keep open track of places you go to often , which help with provide location - specific info . Though it ’s enabled if you opt into Location Services , it ’s wanton enough to turn off — of class , you have to get it first .
Apple ’s rebutter , issued on the company ’s China site in both Formosan and English , say that the troupe is “ deep committed to protect the concealment of all our customers . ” It also reiterated that it does n’t traverse client ’ location , and that the frequent locations sport only exists to reduce the amount of time it claim to put up location - based information — were that information instead to be recover each and every time a exploiter requested it , the intact process would take much longer . Even so , the location data on the phones is actually ground on cell pillar and Wi - Fi entree point , rather than people ’s locations .
In particular , Apple say , the feature is utile for providing the data in the iPhone ’s Today view about commute times , or care automatic rerouting for CarPlay .
And to further still concerns , Apple clarified that it has no access to Frequent Locations or any other cached location information — and other apps are foreclose from having access to it as well . Even more to the point , exploiter themselves can see the data if they ’re concerned about what entropy is there . Apple also sustain that it does n’t work with governance way to provide backdoors into its product and service “ and we never will . ”
Finally , Apple ’s not about to let this whole government issue go by without take a excavation at its major competitor , Google . In the company ’s statement it ’s quick to point out that its “ business does not reckon on gather up large total of personal information about our customers . ”
If this all sound familiar , you might remember that similar concern were leveled in April 2011 , set about with a report inThe Guardian ; it finally got the attention of the U.S. Congress , among other thing . At the clip , Apple responded with language very similar to that in this week ’s China statement . So at least the troupe ’s story has remained pretty consistent .
