Steve Jobs On "Locationgate": Move On, "We Don't Track Anyone"
April 25, 2011
Steve Jobs has made his first public comments on the growing “Locationgate” controversy. The Apple CEO recently responded to an email from an iDevice user, according to news first reported by MacRumors. However, Jobs’ comments probably won’t calm privacy experts.
Early last week, the blogosphere was made aware that iDevices track our every move using a hidden file. Since then, privacy experts have berated Apple.
Here is the email conversation between Jobs and one Apple customer:
Q: Steve, Could you please explain the necessity of the passive location-tracking tool embedded in my iPhone? It's kind of unnerving knowing that my exact location is being recorded at all times. Maybe you could shed some light on this for me before I switch to a Droid. They don't track me. A: Oh yes they do. We don't track anyone. The info circulating around is false. Sent from my iPhoneAs usual, Jobs’ comments were terse, vague, and open to interpretation. The fact that the Apple CEO deflected criticism by complaining about Google’s Android platform is certainly interesting. Plus, the fact is, the so-called "consolidate.db" does track our movements. Apparently, Jobs meant that Apple doesn't do anything with the information tracked. Although “Locationgate” has largely ensnarled Apple exclusively, they aren’t the only ones collecting user data. Last week, BGR has confirmed user agreements for Google, Motorola, HTC, RIM, Microsoft, and HP/Palm contain similar language. Jobs' comments aren't going to satisfy many. Hopefully, Apple will have something more thorough to say on this issue sooner, rather than later. What do you think? Leave your comments below.
