Both Apple and Google Sued over Location-Tracking in Their Smartphone OS's

[the86d]

I have not my name in my gmail account, Facebook, Myspace, or most services I use. Not sure if this matters as they could look up my name in the e-mailed receipts and such, but the FBI is not on my trail for anything (in the the last few years... heheee), so this is not an issue for me.

 

[Tanto88]

Food for thought

I wonder if those michigan idiots ever used the google maps app... for that matter if they ever though that they had just voluntarily activated a tracking program.

 

[jroc]

So if the big issue is opting out, what are the folks suing Google upset about? And if the iPhone issue is gonna be fixed in an update, it shouldnt be an issue anymore right?

All I know is I want good free GPS. Thats one of the things that made me want an Android phone.

 

[diverbelow]

I have nothing to hide, but don't care to be tracked. If information is anonymized, I'm ok with that. But there is no good reason for there to be a database of my location at all times. There should absolutely be an opt-out option for those iphone users.

Yeah the opt-in thing I can agree with, and yeah it is anonymous. No one is going to figure out where you specifically were by looking at that data. I believe Apple said they are going to include an opt-in choice in their next OS version (someone correct me if I'm wrong).

Either way is fine for me...I don't care if they track my phone, because I don't have some false sense of privacy or security. You'd be surprised to know the actual lack of privacy that exists in the world regardless of your mobile phone. if someone wants to know where you are, they'll eventually find you, especially if you're online in anyway.

I wonder if the case against Google will get ground since android has the opt-in option feature built-in already and what they selected. If they knew and opt-in did they know they can turn it off?

 

[52brandon]

well, I guess this kills the minority rumor that we were being tracked through google by our government lol. Hopefully google just goes in and proves it's anonymous and we can call it a day

 

[johnomaz]

When I set up my phone it asked me if it could log my location and send Google the info. I said no, end of story. If you accidently turned it on, you can turn it off from Security/Location in the settings. Apple however was WAY more cryptic about it.

Also, I looked at the data in my wife's iphone and I am not sure if the program for Windows as it is for the Mac program, but the locations it shows are of the cell towers, not precise like GPS locations.

 

[geoff5093]

And here I am voluntarily using Google Latitude, Facebook check-in's, and APRS... I could care less if my phone (Google) knows where I go.

 

[yahwarrior]

LOL. Look at the right corner of this page.

 

[yahwarrior]

If you don't like it, don"t buy one. Google isn't forcing anyone to buy their products.....yet.

 

[esmier]

Also, When you first sign into an android phone, the one very first 2 boxes that show up after you sign into your Google account is about collecting anonymous network and location data. Then Google asks you when you go on the browser for the first time, and in Google maps. People are just dumb, its only 4 lines of reading, and on a phone screen, that is just one sentence.

 

[diverbelow]

So if the big issue is opting out, what are the folks suing Google upset about? And if the iPhone issue is gonna be fixed in an update, it shouldnt be an issue anymore right?

All I know is I want good free GPS. Thats one of the things that made me want an Android phone.

Google had the option to opt-in or opt-out built in to android from the start, but Apple did not give their iCustomers an option.

 

[czerdrill]

So if the big issue is opting out, what are the folks suing Google upset about? And if the iPhone issue is gonna be fixed in an update, it shouldnt be an issue anymore right?

All I know is I want good free GPS. Thats one of the things that made me want an Android phone.

Google had the option to opt-in or opt-out built in to android from the start, but Apple did not give their iCustomers an option.

I think Apple's argument is it was in the EULA and the customer had the "option" not to accept the terms. Definitely less transparent than Google's way. However, Apple has already stated they're going to change the opt-in/opt-out protocol in their next version.

The two people who are suing are just fools. Google made it blatantly obvious what was going on and also made it blatantly easy to opt out. The fools in Michigan won't even make it to court, because the case will be dismissed

 

[kickyindahead]

Now if i could use this "Tracking" to my advantage ... maybe i could figure out where i was last night and how i ended up back at my place this morning....

 

[Haloman800]

Wow, Steve Jobs reminds me of Bill Clinton, he'll blatantly lie about anything convenient to him. And Jobs never misses an opportunity to try and bash a competitor, he acts like a child.

 

[52brandon]

Now if i could use this "Tracking" to my advantage ... maybe i could figure out where i was last night and how i ended up back at my place this morning....

I dont think your phone can tell you that becky, your local 300 pounder took you home for a night you'll never forget, and you forgot it lol