Apple tracking its users.

[Osterbaum]

And none of that excuses anything.

e: Meaning it's still pretty questionable.

[bluestarultor]

Apparently it's been keeping history since they started the OS. It's been a year, hasn't it? Which means there's already a year of history on some people. That's a completely unreasonable amount of tracking info to store, especially if it falls into the wrong hands. If someone has that data, they know where you live, where you work, your favorite restaurant, the shops you frequent, the homes of your friends and family, and everything else. And someone will eventually find a way to hack into it.

I'd just like to reiterate that there is zero reason to be storing this much data, especially right on the device. This isn't about "finding nearby stores" (which you don't even need history to do) or anything else legit. The only real use of this is establishing a long history of info for marketing purposes. And if the database hasn't been purged in a year, well, that's just outright people-tracking.

[Magus]

It's stored on your phone, though. You can't have it both ways--it's stored on the phone so people can steal it and get all my personal info (much like, say, a laptop), or is it stored on their database and they're using it for "nefarious purposes" as that one news story decided to term it? Or is it both? Confusing.

In any case you can delete the file now, people should do that. And then quit using their iPhone because I'm in favor of that too. Like if this makes Apple go out of business I will just be happy as hell, frankly. I'm not even sure why I was complaining about the outrage, I wish people would get so outraged they quit buying Apple products completely and threw away their iPhones.

[rpgdemon]

Apple has surpassed Google in having and never getting rid of information that they have on you and shouldn't? Crazy.

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

Originally Posted by rpgdemon

Apple has surpassed Google in having and never getting rid of information that they have on you and shouldn't? Crazy.

That might be true if Google hadn't already stolen all the Apple data for its massive repository of stuff nobody would ever want their friends and families to know about.

[Kim]

Quit looking at plant porn, Karesh.

Just stop it.

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

Originally Posted by NonCon

Quit looking at plant porn, Karesh.

Just stop it.

WHAT HAPPENS ON THE INTERNET IS BETWEEN ME AND THE STEMS.
I mean I don't even know how you can't get the plant thing it's like...man. They're so lovely and perfectly naturally beautiful and Green

[Krylo]

Originally Posted by bluestarultor

I'd just like to reiterate that there is zero reason to be storing this much data

Market research.

Knowing your favorite restaurant, how often you go to the mall within a year, how often you get Mexican as opposed to American cuisine, etc. all helps with market research and showing you ads that are most likely to be successful, as they are tailored to your tastes

How horrible it is that this data exists where it is easily obtainable or that it is being collected and used to better manipulate your spending (most likely) is really up to individual perceptions.

[bluestarultor]

Originally Posted by Magus

It's stored on your phone, though. You can't have it both ways--it's stored on the phone so people can steal it and get all my personal info (much like, say, a laptop), or is it stored on their database and they're using it for "nefarious purposes" as that one news story decided to term it? Or is it both? Confusing.

In any case you can delete the file now, people should do that. And then quit using their iPhone because I'm in favor of that too. Like if this makes Apple go out of business I will just be happy as hell, frankly. I'm not even sure why I was complaining about the outrage, I wish people would get so outraged they quit buying Apple products completely and threw away their iPhones.

That's the stupid thing: it synchs in frequently, so there's no reason it should all be kept on your phone. That's causing unnecessary redundancy.

Originally Posted by Krylo

Market research.

Knowing your favorite restaurant, how often you go to the mall within a year, how often you get Mexican as opposed to American cuisine, etc. all helps with market research and showing you ads that are most likely to be successful, as they are tailored to your tastes

How horrible it is that this data exists where it is easily obtainable or that it is being collected and used to better manipulate your spending (most likely) is really up to individual perceptions.

I said as much (I think, maybe I snipped it out for length?), but what I'm saying is that it shouldn't be kept on the phone. There's no reason for it to be keeping all that sensitive data in the phone itself if it's all being wired to HQ anyway. I get data redundancy, but good policy would be to have copies of the data in a secure backup data center, not in millions of portable devices.

[TDK]

So your problem is not so much the violation of your privacy as it is the inefficiency with which they violate your privacy