Hmm, I’m not much of a conspiracy theory guy by nature. So, when the news broke a couple of days ago that Apple I-Phones has a location tracking software embedded in them that can pin-point the whereabouts of the user and leaves a detailed history that can be applied to mapping software, I shrugged my shoulders.
I don’t own a I-Phone anyway.
But, today comes a new revelation that Google’s HTC smart phones do the same damn thing. Now, that got my attention because for the past few weeks I’ve been looking to buy an HTC or the Samsung Epic phone myself.
And didn’t Obama have a on-line town hall meeting at Facebook headquarters just the other day?
Is all this a coincidence?
Where is the ACLU in all this?
My Left foot!
The meeting was about how can we track Donald Trump, Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney and all GOP candidates and get some dirt on them for the 2012 presidential campaign?
•Google's Android HTC phone transmitted data back to Google several times an hour
•Apple slammed for user locations being stored in iPhone and iPad
•Google and Apple are using location data to build databases of Wi-Fi hotspots
•Data from Apple devices syncs with computer, meaning anyone with access can see
•Representative Edward Markey questions whether the practice may be illegal
The row over the privacy of mobile phone users escalated today as it was revealed that Google devices regularly transmit user locations back to the company.
The new revelations come after Apple was this week slammed by several Congress members for the way user locations are being stored in unencrypted databases on the iPhone and iPad, sometimes stretching back several months.
In Google's case an Android HTC phone tracked its location every few seconds and transmitted the data back to Google several times an hour, according to new research by security analyst Samy Kamkar for the Wall Street Journal.
It also transmitted the name, location and signal strength of any close Wi-Fi networks and the phone's unique identifier.
Both Google and Apple have previously admitted they are using location data to build massive databases of Wi-Fi hotspots.
This can then be used to pinpoint individual's locations via their mobile phones, which in turn could help the companies tap into the huge market for location-based services, currently worth $2.9billion.
This figure is expected to rise to a staggering $8.3billion in 2014, according to research company Gartner.
Location data is some of the most valuable information a mobile phone can provide, since it can tell advertisers not only where someone's been, but also where they might be going — and what they might be inclined to buy when they get there.
