NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] iPhone Location Tracking Brouhaha in Perspective + Personal Status Note
iPhone Location Tracking Brouhaha in Perspective + Personal Status Note
http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000843.html
Before I proceed to the main topic of this posting, I'd like to
apologize to everyone who has sent me email over the last several days
that has been unacknowledged and unanswered, and for the sudden
cessation of all activity on my main mailing lists -- PRIVACY Forum
( http://j.mp/ca5XI8 ) - People For Internet Responsibility
( http://j.mp/93023A ) - Network Neutrality Squad ( http://j.mp/11htVX ) --
the IDONS Forums ( http://j.mp/hLVOUv ), as well as on my blog,
Twitter, and Google Buzz. I am not purposely ignoring you, and I'll
try to explain a bit more after the iPhone tracking discussion that
begins ... now.
I've probably received more email on the recent "revelations"
concerning location "tracking" data being stored on various iOS
(iPhone, iPad) devices (and thence apparently backed up routinely to
connected computers) than for nearly any other topic in recent memory.
Some articles that provide background on this are:
http://j.mp/fwx7Ah (Engadget) and http://j.mp/fJ4neO (Huffington).
I will not now delve into the question of "who discovered what when"
or the specific precision and granularity of the data collected (e.g.
cell site triangulation/location vs. GPS) -- except to note that
especially in urban regions, the area covered by a single cell sector
or microcell can be very small and yield quite precise location
information even without user GPS data. The applicability of the
Apple/iOS Terms of Service (ToS) to the collection of the location
data in question I'll let the lawyers tangle over.
Some observers (many of whom seem to be rather hardcore Apple
"fanboys"), appear to be attempting to minimize the seriousness of
this situation, suggesting that it really isn't a big deal since Apple
reportedly isn't routinely sending the collected location data to
their own servers -- some apologists even parroting the tired and
dangerous meme that "if you aren't doing anything wrong you have
nothing to fear from such data being gathered."
There's also considerable speculation regarding the whys and
wherefores behind Apple's deploying this data mechanism.
None of this substantively changes the bottom line.
This isn't rocket science. The collection of this data on these
devices, especially in unencrypted form, is incredibly dangerous,
stupid, and disrespectful of Apple's customers.
In an age when U.S. Customs and now even local police departments
( http://j.mp/eIpIGn [Digital Trends] ) are claiming the right to use
specialized equipment ( http://j.mp/hNKxdr [Google Buzz] ) to drain
smartphones and laptops of their stored data without any kind of
warrants or court orders ( http://j.mp/gE1jUF [Lauren's Blog] ), the
presence of such comprehensive location data in these devices
represents a treasure trove for everything from completely
unreasonable law enforcement "fishing expeditions" to aggressive and
nosy divorce attorneys.
There's just no way to justify what Apple is doing with iOS in this
regard. It's impossible to imagine legitimate mitigating excuses.
That something like this could slip through Apple's "privacy
standards" process is mysterious and extremely troubling.
Overall, this one isn't even a close call. Apple is dead wrong.
- - -
As I noted above, normal activity on my various venues has been
disrupted, including my ability to respond to emails in a predictably
timely fashion. This may continue indefinitely or even worsen, and
while I will try to keep the associated servers running, I cannot
guarantee that this will be possible unless current circumstances
change for the better. I have never felt it appropriate to "monetize"
any of these efforts, and though I've always operated on extremely
limited resources, I've done my best to keep things going in the hope
that some good was ultimately being accomplished.
Unfortunately, a series of recent unexpected events has made it
impossible for me to maintain the status quo under these conditions.
Hope springs eternal for improvements in the situation, but as of now
nothing is on the horizon.
So I'd like to use this opportunity to thank everyone who has taken
the time to read my sometimes eclectic missives over the many years
(whether you've agreed with my various points of view or not!) and a
special thank you to those who have actively participated by sending
me emails, messages, postings, and various fodder for my analytical
and other musings, lists, and forums.
Also, some of you know about a pair of white papers that I've been
preparing, one regarding government and private micromanagement and
censorship of Google and other search engines, the other discussing
N-dimensional "constellation" analysis of user tracking preferences
vs. "do-not-track" risks (can this stuff get any geekier?). While I
hope to complete these for distribution, like everything else right
now they will have to wait until and unless the overall situation
takes a turn for the better.
That's really all I want to say publicly about this. Mail to
lauren@vortex.com should continue working for the time being at least,
though responses may be significantly delayed. My regular contact
phone number of (818) 225-2800 continues to be valid for now.
I just don't know how often I'll be posting going forward. I'll do
what I can. But again, my thanks to you all, my apologies for the
inconvenience, and my best wishes to you and yours. Take care.
Be seeing you.
--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein (lauren@vortex.com): http://www.vortex.com/lauren
Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org
Founder:
- Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org
- Global Coalition for Transparent Internet Performance: http://www.gctip.org
- PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com
Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenweinstein
Google Buzz: http://j.mp/laurenbuzz
Quora: http://www.quora.com/Lauren-Weinstein
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com