Lawmakers quiz Apple, Google about location tracking.

Do you know where your kids are??

Published on April 27, 2011 By ShadowWar In Mobile Tech

A U.S. Senator from Minnesota and the attorney general of Illinois have separately pressed Apple and Google to provide more information about the location data they collect about their end users. The requests from the politicians follow recent reports Google and Apple have been collecting data about the location of Android and iPhone users without their permission.

While both companies ask permission before collecting the location data required for certain applications, the reports, starting with one in the Wall Street Journal, show the companies also collect location information when not required to do so by an application. The attorney general said she has asked the companies to explain what information they store, for how long they store it, and what it is used for.

The Senator April 25 asked representatives from Google and Apple to attend a hearing May 10 about protecting mobile privacy. Also, two consumers filed a lawsuit in Florida April 22 that charges Apple with fraud over the alleged data collection.

In addition, a U.S. Congressman from Massachusetts said he wrote to Apple’s CEO the week of April 18 with questions about the company’s data collection practices. Apple has not commented on the matter. Google said it does not collect location information without user permission.

Comments

ShadowWar

on Apr 28, 2011

Jafo

comment 1

IDG News Service - Minnesota Senator Al Franken and the attorney general of Illinois have separately pressed Apple and Google to provide more information about the location data they collect about their end users.The requests from Franken and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan follow recent reports that Google and Apple have been collecting data about the location of Android and iPhone users without their permission.While both companies ask permission before collecting the location data required for certain applications, the reports, starting with one in the Wall Street Journal, show the companies also collect location information when not required to do so by an application.Madigan said she has asked the companies to explain what information they store, for how long and what it's used for. "I want to know whether consumers have been informed of what is being tracked and stored by Apple and Google and whether those tracking and storage features can be disabled," she said in a statement. I can copy/paste slabs of plagiarised text too.

At least I post the links my stories are from. Never said it was my story. Or my original news work. Yours??

DrJBHL

on Apr 28, 2011

The Apple iPhone and iPad are actually more secure (unless unlocked and lost) than the Windows phones which gather the same info and send it back over the internet.

ShadowWar, I suggest listening to Jafo... he's correct, but even if he weren't, he'd still be Jafo.

Uvah

on Apr 28, 2011

ShadowWar. Make it easier on yourself by telling us what's going on in your own words. You can use excerpts, parts of the original, but not all. What you are dging is copying someone else's article, re-printing its called, without their approval. That is the definition of plagiarism. If the author sees it that person can demand you remove it and you must remove it because if you don't said author can legally force you to or worst case bring legal action against you. That is what Jafo is trying to get across. Save yourself the headache guy. You do good by reporting. No sense inviting trouble if you don't have to.

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