Apple iOS update quashes location tracking “bug”

Graham Cluley
@gcluley

Apple has released an iOS update for the iPhone and iPad, addressing concerns that the devices were tracking users’ locations.

As was widely reported last month, a bug in Apple’s software meant that iPhones and iPads were collecting location-related data and were archiving it on users’ computers.

It was found that location information stored on your computer could pinpoint your iPhone’s whereabouts for up to a year afterwards – something which caused a storm of protest from those concerned about their privacy.

And you can see their point. After all, someone with access to your PC might find the backup file in your iTunes and determine places that you regularly visit. And you had no idea that that information was being stored.

At the time of the revelation I think my biggest concern was the sheer amount of data that was being backed up to PCs. I couldn’t see…

Read more in my article on the Naked Security website.

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Graham Cluley is a veteran of the anti-virus industry having worked for a number of security companies since the early 1990s when he wrote the first ever version of Dr Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit for Windows. Now an independent security analyst, he regularly makes media appearances and is an international public speaker on the topic of computer security, hackers, and online privacy. Follow him on Twitter at @gcluley, on Mastodon at @[email protected], or drop him an email.

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