Apple Responds to Questions About Location Tracking and Privacy

Nearly a month ago, federal lawmakers Edward Markey and Joe Barton wrote a letter to Apple CEO Steve Jobs expressing concern over and seeking clarification on recent changes to the company's privacy policy as it relates to collection of real-time location data for users of its mobile devices.
As noted by the Los Angeles Times yesterday, the congressmen have published Apple's 13-page response (full-text PDF) submitted last week and explaining the company's policies.
In its response, Apple points out that users have the ability to turn off location services entirely and that users are required to provide explicit authorization to each application that wishes to access their location information. Responding to questions about the information Apple is collecting, the response notes that, in addition to user-initiated location sharing, iOS devices automatically collect information on nearby cell towers and Wi-Fi access points along with GPS locations, batching and encrypting the data before sending it on to Apple via Wi-Fi every twelve hours in order to assist with refinements to Apple's database of fixed access point locations.
Apple also discloses its usage of location information for administering its iAd platform, where GPS coordinates are immediately translated into zip codes for the purposes of serving ads. This information is not, however, passed along to advertisers, and Apple plans to maintain the zip code data on its servers for up to six months to assist with administration of and improvements to the iAd program before aggregating the data for administrative use.
For their part, Markey and Barton seem pleased with Apple's response and approach to user consent and privacy policies, although they continue to express general concern over possible privacy implications for the expanding cloud-based mobile data-driven lifestyle, as well as ever-expanding privacy policy documents that can make it difficult for consumers to understand how their information is being used.
Popular Stories
Apple changed the strategy for iOS 17 later in its development process to add several new features, suggesting that the update may be more significant than previously thought, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.
In January, Gurman said that iOS 17 could be a less significant update than iPhone updates in previous years due to the company's intense focus on its long-awaited mixed-reality...
This year, all iPhone 15 models will include Apple's Dynamic Island that unifies the pill and hole cutouts at the top of the display, but there will also be a material change to the feature that wasn't included in the iPhone 14 Pro models.
According to a new tweet by Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the proximity sensor on the iPhone 15 series will be integrated inside the Dynamic Island ...
We're still almost six months away from the official unveiling of the iPhone 15 lineup, but it seems like every day we're learning more about what to expect from the next-generation models. Notably, this week gave us our clearest look yet at what appear to be some changes for the volume and mute control hardware.
iOS 16.4 and associated releases are also right around the corner with some new ...
We saw a lot of great deals on Apple products and related accessories this week, including Samsung's iMac-like Smart Monitor M8 for $250 off, a 30 percent off spring sale at Anker, and the year's best prices on numerous AirPods models. All of these deals are still available to purchase right now, so we're recapping them and more below.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these ...
Apple showcased its mixed-reality headset to the company's top 100 executives in the Steve Jobs Theater last week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained that the "momentous gathering" is a "key milestone" ahead of the headset's public announcement planned for June. The event was intended to rally Apple's top members of...
Some Apple employees are concerned about the usefulness and price point of the company's upcoming mixed-reality headset, The New York Times reports.
Apple headset concept by David Lewis and Marcus Kane Initial enthusiasm around the device at the company has apparently become skepticism, according to eight current and former Apple employees speaking to The New York Times. The change of tone...
While the iPhone 15 series is still around six months away from launching, there have already been plenty of rumors about the devices. Many new features and changes have been rumored for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max in particular.
Below, we have recapped 10 changes rumored for iPhone 15 Pro models that are not expected to be available on the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus:A1...
Following nearly six weeks of beta testing, iOS 16.4 is expected to be released to the public as soon as this week. The software update includes a handful of new features and changes for the iPhone 8 and newer. To install an iOS update, open the Settings app on the iPhone, tap General → Software Update, and follow the on-screen instructions.
Below, we have recapped eight new features and...