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'Apple made mistakes with iPhone data'

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CIOL Bureau
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SAN FRANCISCO, USA: In an effort to put an end to the growing controversy over privacy, Apple CEO Steve Jobs and two other top executives told The New York Times on Wednesday that the company will fix the way it stores location tracking data in its iPhone and iPad devices.

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Jobs took the unusual step of personally explaining that while Apple had made mistakes in how it handled location data on its mobile devices, it had not used the iPhone and iPad to keep tabs on the whereabouts of its customers.

“We haven't been tracking anybody,” Jobs said in an interview. “Never have. Never will.”

Steve jobs also said Apple would fix the mistakes in a free software update that it would release in the next few weeks.

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Privacy advocates criticize Apple

Concerns about tracking came to a head earlier this month when two computer programmers presented research showing the iPhone was logging locations. Privacy advocates have sharply criticized Apple, while the Federal Communications Commission and U.S. Sen. Al Franken have asked the company to explain its policy.

“I would expect there are folks who would be interested in looking at this,” said Lydia Parnes, an attorney with Wilson Sonsini, Goodrich and Rosati and a former director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. “But just saying information is collected doesn't automatically mean that it's a problem. It's all about what consumers understand.”

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A spokeswoman for the Federal Trade Commission, which has been known to pursue companies that fail to adequately safeguard customers' data, declined further comment on Apple.

In response to the allegation Apple also issued a statement on Wednesday that the file is part of a system that collects location data from iPhones and reports it back to the company. However, it also clarified the data is used to enhance the performance of the phone and its applications, and does not track individual users.

“Apple is not tracking the location of your iPhone. Apple has never done so and has no plans to ever do so,” it said.

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'Software bugs caused iPhones to retain more data'

However, software bugs had caused iPhones to retain more data than was intended, said Apple, which promised a software fix for that problem, in an effort to control the firestorm that has broken out over the controversy.

In response to the controversy Apple and Jobs also acknowledged that iPhones keep a database of nearby Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers. That information can then be used to help calculate location for applications such as maps.

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At the moment, some of that location information is stored on each iPhone and is backed up in iTunes. This has raised concerns from privacy advocates, who say the process would make it possible, for instance, for someone with access to a person's computer to retrieve information about their movements.

Google too in privacy breach soup

Google Inc, a fierce competitor of Apple in mobile computing, has also faced sharp criticism over reports that Android-based phones track the locations of users.

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In a statement on Wednesday, Google defended its process by saying it was up to consumers whether they want to participate in location sharing on Android-based phones.

"We provide users with notice and control over the collection, sharing and use of location in order to provide a better mobile experience on Android devices," the search advertising company said.

Any data that is sent back to Google's servers is anonymous, it said.

Apple, in seeking to clarify its position, also said the data is anonymous and shows only the location of Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers surrounding the iPhone's location. It said those geographic points could be more than 100 miles away from the actual location of the iPhone.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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