Apple on Wednesday responded to business over the iPhone ’s assembly of location data in the form ofa lengthy Q&A documenton its Website .
Apple , in its novel Q&A text file , states unequivocally : “ Apple is not track the location of your iPhone . Apple has never done so and has no programme to ever do so . ” The text file continues : “ substance abuser are confused , partly because the creators of this new technology ( including Apple ) have not provided enough Department of Education about these number to date . ”
The crux of Apple ’s point is that the data being gathered is n’t where you ’ve been , but rather the positioning of wireless hot spot and cell pillar across the res publica .
The iPhone is not log your localization . Rather , it ’s maintaining a database of Wi - Fi hotspots and cellphone towers around your current location , some of which may be situate more than one hundred miles out from your iPhone , to avail your iPhone apace and accurately calculate its fix when call for … These calculation are performed live on the iPhone using a crowd - sourced database of Wi - Fi hotspot and cubicle tower data that is generated by tens of millions of iPhones sending the geo - chase after locations of nearby Wi - Fi hotspots and mobile phone tower in an anonymous and encrypted phase to Apple .
Notably , Apple says that the geotagging information your iPhone generates and institutionalize back to Apple can not be used to identify or place you ; the information is both anon. and inscribe . what is more , the society say that “ the location information that researchers are seeing on the iPhone is not the past or present localization of the iPhone , but rather the locations of Wi - Fi hotspots and cell column surrounding the iPhone ’s localisation … We plan to cease backing up this memory cache in a computer software update coming presently . ”
Apple says specifically that the cache ’s storing of such an extensive history of your iPhone ’s location is unneeded and due to a bug , which the company plan to fix “ curtly . ” Specifically , Apple write : “ We do n’t think the iPhone needs to store more than seven day of this data . ” Apple also reference an additional bug — namely , that the iPhone currently sends some of the geotagged data back to Apple even when you ’ve turn Location Services off . That bug , too , should be fixed in a barren iOS software update “ in the coming weeks , ” the company says . A further button , the next major iOS loop will also encipher the hoard on the phone itself .
In a surprising move for the normally tightlipped party , Apple also states that it ’s gather one other bit of information for a succeeding service :
Apple is now hoard anonymous traffic data to build a crowd - source traffic database with the goal of providing iPhone users an improved traffic service in the next couple of long time .
In the text file ’s closing , Apple reaffirms its dedication to seclusion , say that “ it will continue to be one of the leaders in strengthening personal information surety and privateness . ”
