01:41
Mr. Asim Rajput
The fact that it is backed up also means its stored on your computer by iTunes when it does a backup, means that for plenty of, it is also on their computer in unencrypted form. A first step for any users of iDevices to take is to check the check box in iTunes that encrypts your backups. Based on the longevity of the information stored, the researchers, Pete Warden & Alasdair Allan, think the information gathering to have begun in iOS seven.
Security researchers have discovered that iOS devices have been saving the locations of users' devices at regular intervals, & storing them in an unencrypted, though hidden file. The information includes locations & time stamps, & is apparently intentional: the database is backed up, & restored across backups, & even onto a new gizmo if a prior is replaced.
Allan & Warden were to present their findings at the Where four.0 conference in San Francisco on Wednesday. The file, "consolidated.db," contains latitude-longitude coordinates along with timestamps. It is not clear how the coordinates are generated, & the timing of the records appears erratic. Warden & Allan theorize that the updates are triggered by traveling between cells or gizmo activity.
Security researchers have discovered that iOS devices have been saving the locations of users' devices at regular intervals, & storing them in an unencrypted, though hidden file. The information includes locations & time stamps, & is apparently intentional: the database is backed up, & restored across backups, & even onto a new gizmo if a prior is replaced.
Allan & Warden were to present their findings at the Where four.0 conference in San Francisco on Wednesday. The file, "consolidated.db," contains latitude-longitude coordinates along with timestamps. It is not clear how the coordinates are generated, & the timing of the records appears erratic. Warden & Allan theorize that the updates are triggered by traveling between cells or gizmo activity.
The researchers also checked other platforms. Warden said,
Since the file is moved across devices and backed up and restore, the researchers think there might be some still unreleased feature in mind:
"Apple might have new features in mind that need a history of your location, but that is our speculation (sic). The fact that [the file] is transferred across [to a brand spanking new iPhone or iPad] when you migrate is proof that the data-gathering is not accidental."
[In fact, the researchers provided a Mac OS X tool to examine your backups and look at the information (here)
The information does not appear to be transmitted to Apple itself, but the fact that it is on stored on the phone means somebody with the means can look at it, if the phone is lost.
Most don't think Apple is trying to track users' info for malicious purposes. , as Simon Davies, director of the pressure group Privacy International, said:
"The absence of notice to users or any control option can only stem from an ignorance about privacy at the design stage."
"This is a worrying discovery. Location is of the most sensitive elements in anyone's life think where people go in the evening. The existence of that information creates a actual threat to privacy."
Davies also added,
It is not clear, actually, if the disclosure of this stored location information was not made clear by Apple historically-in the past. In a letter to Congressman dated July of last year, Apple discussed the location-based information they gathered.
Clearly, however, Apple didn't detail the fact that they were storing the information "in the clear" (unencrypted) or that it was backed up onto computers when an iDevice was synced. They also did not indicate that there (apparently) is no limit to the length of time such information is stored. While this is obviously going to cause privacy concerns, Apple and other smartphone vendors all have provisions in their Terms of Service that permit for them to track users' locations. The issue in this case, , is the "in the clear" nature of the information, as well as the fact that Apple didn't "really" tell someone about the file.
In the following video, Allan and Warden speak about how the file was discovered and examine the information contained in the file.
"The absence of notice to users or any control option can only stem from an ignorance about privacy at the design stage."
"This is a worrying discovery. Location is of the most sensitive elements in anyone's life think where people go in the evening. The existence of that information creates a actual threat to privacy."
Davies also added,
It is not clear, actually, if the disclosure of this stored location information was not made clear by Apple historically-in the past. In a letter to Congressman dated July of last year, Apple discussed the location-based information they gathered.
Clearly, however, Apple didn't detail the fact that they were storing the information "in the clear" (unencrypted) or that it was backed up onto computers when an iDevice was synced. They also did not indicate that there (apparently) is no limit to the length of time such information is stored. While this is obviously going to cause privacy concerns, Apple and other smartphone vendors all have provisions in their Terms of Service that permit for them to track users' locations. The issue in this case, , is the "in the clear" nature of the information, as well as the fact that Apple didn't "really" tell someone about the file.
In the following video, Allan and Warden speak about how the file was discovered and examine the information contained in the file.
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