The Devil is indeed in the details.
According to a report from the LA Times, if you're rocking an Apple device, that's been updated recently, you've agreed to allow Apple to collect and share your location data with any third party they choose. In a recent update to their privacy policy, Apple nudged in a paragraph citing that by agreeing to adhere to their policy, users were also agreeing to the fact that the company could track, store and if they chose to do so, ultimately share location information gleaned from your Apple hardware:
To provide location-based services on Apple products, Apple and our partners and licensees may collect, use, and share precise location data, including the real-time geographic location of your Apple computer or device. This location data is collected anonymously in a form that does not personally identify you and is used by Apple and our partners and licensees to provide and improve location-based products and services. For example, we may share geographic location with application providers when you opt in to their location services.
Some location-based services offered by Apple, such as the MobileMe “Find My iPhone” feature, require your personal information for the feature to work.
Why would a user agree to such a thing?
Well, to be blunt, we loves us some updates. if you want to install any software updates provided by Cupertino, such as the latest version of iTunes, you'll be asked to read and agree to Apple's privacy policy. Apple has stated that the information collected is anonymous and does not identify individual users. However, Arvind Narayanan and Vitaly Shmatikov, a pair of braniacs working out of The University of Texas at Austin, have written a paper detailing how large amounts of anonymous minor details can be used to souse out an individual's behavior patterns. As many more savvy iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users will tell you, there is an option to turn off Location Services built into the hardware's OS. This works fine and well as a Geolocation killswitch for downloaded applications, but there is no mention of whether swiping the Location Services toggle to off will have an affect on whether or not information will continue to be sent to Apple. Scary.
Apple's inclusion of such a stipulation in their privacy policy makes a good deal of sense when seen in the light of their soon to be launched iAd platform. Being able to provide potential advertisers with the the ability to tailor their content to coincide with the movement patterns of an individual user is a compelling feature to be sure.
If you're still afraid of Apple knowing all about your business, you can opt out of iAds. Just cruise to https://oo.apple.com/ on your iOS device and you'll that much closer of anonymity.
Follow this article's author, Seamus Bellamy on Twitter.
