iSpy Conspiracy: Your iPhone Is Secretly Tracking Everywhere You’ve Been, All The Tim

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This is a map of everywhere I've been for nearly the last year. Everywhere. I didn't carry around a special tracking device. The FBI isn't sending goons in unmarked vans to track me. All I did was use an iPhone. And if you have an iPhone, you're being tracked right now, too, whether you like it or not.

It turns out that all our iPhones are keeping a record of everywhere you've been since June. This data is stored on your phone (or iPad) and computer, easily available to anyone who gets their hands on it. And now, we're wondering whether the same goes for our other smartphones. The opt-in wording of phone location service agreements is pretty nebulous (as agreements tend to be). When starting up a fresh Android, you're prompted to agree to the following: "Allow Google's location service to collect anonymous data. Collection will occur even when no applications are running." We asked Google what exactly this meant, and they refused to answer on the record whether this "anonymous" location data is logged persistently, a la iPhone. We've also reached out to Apple, BlackBerry-maker RIM, and Microsoft for similar clarifications, but haven't gotten a response yet.

Gizmodo, the Gadget Guide