iPhone records where I am at all times – who knew?

A fascinating piece in the Guradian website this afternoon – noting that the iPhone keeps a record of everywhere you go.  This is not something you enable, and nor is it something Apple have told us about – up until the Guardian article exposed it, it was a hidden file, that also gets copied to your computer when you sync with iTunes.

This means that if anyone gets hold of your phone, or your computer, they have a complete trace of your movements from when you got your phone.  The Guardian say this file gets copied from iPhone to iPhone (and iPad) as you upgrade, though looking at mine it only goes back to when I got my iPhone 4.

The Guardian have also kindly produced an app to allow you to see your hidden file.  I was amazed when I used it to look at my movements – all my recent trips abroad and movements in the UK were there.  I recently went to the Galapagos and as you can see I was happily tracked there.

Maybe, just maybe, Apple will have some great application in mind that we’ll all love some time in the future that will use this data, but surely this is a massive privacy abuse recording this data without our knowledge?

Who knew? Not me.  Up to this point I thought Apple guarded my privacy and I have shared much with them through iTunes.  Has my attitude to Apple now changed? – yes.  This is a classic example of a privacy issue that I have written about over the last year – Apple have some serious explaining to do.