According to iOS forensics researcher Alex Levinson, Apple’s current iPhone privacy trifle is nothing new, and further, isn’t really tracking users. The culprit is a data file used by iOS to do things like geotag photos.
The nifty tool iPhoneTracker, which we spoke about yesterday, and also earlier today, can pull the data off of your iPhone and turn it into a map, showing you exactly what information is there.
“It is not secret, malicious, or hidden,” writes Levinson. He also makes a point to detail that Apple is not collecting the data at all, and that users of the iPhone and iPad still have full control over their location data.
While its still curious on some level why the iPhone stores so much data without ever clearing it, it seems that the initial fears of snooping, spying, or other privacy concerns were largely overplayed. Time will tell.
You can read Levinson’s comments in greater detail over at CultofMac.
What are your thoughts on the matter? Sound off in the comments!
[Scobelizer, Parth Dhebar, CultofMac]
