Apple's Bud Tribble to Testify in Senate Hearing on Mobile Privacy

122037 core location map

As noted by All Things Digital, the U.S. Senate has posted a hearing notice for a Judiciary Committee meeting on mobile privacy scheduled for May 10th at 10:00 AM in Washington, DC. According to the witness list included in the notice, Apple's Bud Tribble will be providing testimony during the session, which is entitled "Protecting Mobile Privacy: Your Smartphones, Tablets, Cell Phones and Your Privacy".

The session will begin with a panel featuring representatives from the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice, presumably to give background and set the stage for testimony as the legislators attempt to learn more about how consumer privacy is handled with mobile devices. Tribble will be joined on a second panel by Google's public policy director, Alan Davidson, as well as several other witnesses from public interest groups and trade association/lobbying groups.

Tribble serves as vice president of software technology at Apple and has a long history with the company. He served as manager of the Macintosh development team and oversaw the development of Mac OS, and later joined Steve Jobs to found NeXT. Tribble returned to Apple in early 2002.

The Senate hearing was sparked by concerns over location tracking information publicized for being stored on users' iPhones and Android-based handsets. The hearing was initiated by Senator Al Franken, and Jobs reported soon after that Apple intended to participate in the discussions as requested. Senate officials confirmed last week that both Apple and Google would be sending representatives to the hearing.

Popular Stories

iOS 26 Battery Glass Feature

iPhone 16 Pro Max 80% Charge Limit: One Year Later, Was It Worth It?

Wednesday September 24, 2025 3:58 pm PDT by
With the iPhone 15 series, I did an experiment and kept my iPhone's Charge Limit set at 80 percent for an entire year. It provided an interesting look at the impact of charge limits on battery longevity, so I decided to repeat it for the iPhone 16 line. Since September 2024, my iPhone 16 Pro Max has been limited to an 80 percent charge, with no cheating. As of today, my battery's maximum...
AirPods Pro 3 Newsroom

Apple's 'Back to School' Offer Ends Soon, Now Applies to AirPods Pro 3

Wednesday September 24, 2025 7:20 am PDT by
Apple's annual "Back to School" promotion for students ends soon, so act fast if you want to score free AirPods with the purchase of an eligible new Mac or iPad. Until Tuesday, September 30, college students and qualifying educational staff in the U.S. can receive free AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation when they purchase an eligible new Mac or iPad from Apple. This is a $179 value. ...
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

Apple Blames In-Store MagSafe Chargers for iPhone 17 Pro Display Model Scratches

Wednesday September 24, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
The marks on the iPhone 17 Pro models that people have noticed at Apple retail stores are caused by the chargers that Apple uses, Apple confirmed today. Apple told 9to5Mac that worn MagSafe charging stands in stores are causing marks on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Apple says that the marks are not scratches, and are instead material transfer from the stand to the phone. The...
iPhone 17 Pro Colors

Skipped the iPhone 17 Pro? Here's What is Rumored for iPhone 18 Pro

Tuesday September 23, 2025 8:55 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are still a year away, there are already a few rumors about the devices that offer an early look ahead. Below, we have recapped some of the early iPhone 18 Pro rumors so far. This story was published previously, and it has been updated to reflect the latest rumors. Many early rumors prove to be true, but nothing is confirmed yet, and Apple's...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.1 Beta 1

Monday September 22, 2025 12:44 pm PDT by
Apple released the first beta of iOS 26.1 today, just a week after launching iOS 26. iOS 26.1 mainly adds new languages to Apple Intelligence, but there are a few other features that are worth knowing about. New Apple Intelligence Languages Apple Intelligence is now available in Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. AirPo...
Home Hub Command Center with Dome Base Feature

Apple Working on All-New Operating System

Thursday September 25, 2025 1:11 pm PDT by
Apple is developing an all-new operating system codenamed "Charismatic," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple smart home hub concept based on rumors This is likely Apple's long-rumored "homeOS" operating system. In a report last month, Gurman said both Apple's rumored smart home hub in 2026 and tabletop robot in 2027 will run the new operating system. He said the software platform ...
ios 26 digital id passport wallet

Apple Confirms iOS 26 Wallet Passport Feature is Coming in 2025

Tuesday September 23, 2025 1:06 pm PDT by
Digital ID, the iOS 26 feature that lets U.S. passport holders add their passports to the Wallet app, is coming later in 2025, Apple confirmed today. Apple updated the release timing wording of Digital ID on its iOS 26 features page. "Digital ID will be coming later this year with US passports only," it reads. Prior to today, the footnote for the feature said "Digital ID will be available ...
apple tv 4k new orange

Next Apple TV Expected to Launch This Year With These New Features

Monday September 22, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
The next Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Likely Features N1 Chip With Wi-Fi 7 Last year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the next Apple TV would be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, which is...
iPhone 17 Pro USB C Port

iPhone 17 Pro Max's USB-C Charging Speeds Tested With Apple Chargers

Monday September 22, 2025 7:29 am PDT by
The website ChargerLAB has tested the iPhone 17 Pro Max's USB-C charging speeds with a variety of Apple's chargers, from 18W to 140W. The device reached a peak charging speed of around 36W with the following Apple chargers:40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max 61W USB-C Power Adapter 67W USB-C Power Adapter 70W USB-C Power Adapter 96W USB-C Power Adapter 140W USB-C Power AdapterFor...

Top Rated Comments

rdowns Avatar
188 months ago
I was hoping somebody higher up would do it. If they lie or do not give the full truth, we should demand prosecution and a perp walk after arrest.
You never disappoint.

Did it ever occur to you that he may be the most qualified person from Apple to testify?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Fast Shadow Avatar
188 months ago
The trouble with Tribble
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rdowns Avatar
188 months ago




Who? How about Scott Forestall, since based on his job title, he is more involved in iOS.


Good point. Let's ask for the long form birth certificate.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AgingGeek Avatar
188 months ago
title should be "Trouble with Tribble"....

ah, nevermind.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Northgrove Avatar
188 months ago
After hearing Apple's explanation for this geolocation cache, and programming GPS software myself at work, they make perfect sense. The iPhone *is* very quick at receiving a decent position even in less optimal environments. And that's no doubt thanks to it having a decent idea of where you last were. This helps in providing a smooth end-user experience. This is also why Android also did it, no doubt. It's probably no new idea in the industry. *I* should do it in our software too. No need for conspiracies, when logic and information makes better sense.

So...

This title:

"Apple's Bud Tribble to Testify in Senate Hearing on Mobile Privacy"

... could in essence be changed to this:

"Apple to Teach Senate on Geolocation Services"
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
econgeek Avatar
188 months ago
When are we going to see hearings on the massive privacy violations in ObamaCare, the "stimulus" bill (which was mostly about other stuff), the renewal of the PATRIOT act, etc?

The government has removed the concept of privacy as a basic right, which, by the way, the constitution doesn't allow them to do.

There's supreme court rulings on this-- believe it or not, one of they key ones was Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion by finding that anti-abortion laws violated women's right to privacy.

I trust Apple to do the right thing, because they've always done right by me.

I trust the federal government to do the wrong thing, because they've never done right by me, and they've constantly lied about it. (Even the Privacy Act of the 1970s reduced privacy, and the few protections it did provide are routinely violated by the federal government now.)

Oh, right, they can get PR for themselves by going after Apple and %90 of the people never bothered to read the bills I referred to earlier and so have no clue that the government has put privacy violations into law.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)