Apple: We ‘Must Have’ Comprehensive User Location Data On You
April 25th, 2011Via: International Business Times:
In June 2010, Congressmen Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., and Joe Barton, R-Texas wrote a letter to Apple CEO Steve Jobs inquiring about Apple’s privacy policy and location-based services
In response the company’s general counsel Bruce Sewall wrote a letter explaining its practice, and shedding light on the rationale the company uses to monitor users.
“To provide the high quality products and services that its customers demand, Apple must have access to the comprehensive location-based information,” Sewall told Congress in the letter.
After emphasizing Apple’s commitment to users’ privacy, Sewall said that to provide these location-based services, Apple, its partners and licensees, may collect, use and share customers’ precise location data, including GPS information, nearby cell towers and neighboring Wi-Fi networks.
While the security researchers Allan and Warden did not confirm whether the devices were actively sending data back to Apple, Sewall said that it was within Apple’s right to do so.
“By using any location-based services on your iPhone, you agree and consent to Apple’s and its partners’ and licensees’ transmission, collection, maintenance, processing and use of your location data to provide such products and services,” Sewall’s letter reads, citing Apple’s End User Agreement.
