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Apple didn't store users location data. Cell tower positrons were cached on iOS devices, and this was turned into a false controversy because sensationalism se

by gress 13y ago

Apple didn't store users location data. Cell tower positrons were cached on iOS devices, and this was turned into a false controversy because sensationalism sells. Citing this piece as if it asserts that Apple collects user location data in the way the parent poster fears the NSA might do is dishonest.

jonknee 13y ago
Apple programmed a feature that cached all location data on a file on the iPhone. GCHQ's linked PowerPoint says "If it's on the phone, we can get it". Ergo, GCHQ and the NSA certainly had access to your cached location data if they wanted it. Maybe Apple intended this to be the case, maybe Apple did not, but the mere fact that the file existed is enough that it most certainly could have been scooped up by spooks.
- gress 13y ago
  No. "All the location data" was not cached. Only cell tower locations. "Maybe apple intended this to be the case" is baseless innuendo and has no place here. "If it's on the phone, we can get it" has separately been shown only to apply when the agencies have physical access to the device to extract data or implant malware. You seem to want to spread the idea that spies can access the real-time location of your iPhone remotely - which is what the parent post was fearing, but for which there is no evidence. What is your motive here?
  - nitrogen 13y ago
    Cell tower data is sufficient to determine phone location via triangulation. Additionally, spies can get real-time data from the carrier directly, as can law enforcement. The parent comment said nothing about real-time access, but if someone has a remote exploit that gives filesystem access (and if jailbreakers can do it, then the NSA can, too), that location data file would provide a detailed history of the phone's location.
    - gress 13y ago
      No. Triangulation requires near-simultaneous signal strength readings from multiple towers at the time the position is to be computed. The cell tower cache you refer to does not contain that kind of data, so the data file des not provide a detailed history of the phones location. This has been shown by the people who investigated the file. An extremely coarse location, to the resolution of cell towers can be obtained from the file, but as we know, that is available to the phone network anyway. The parent comment talks about geolocation data at regular X minute intervals. This file does not provide that. Nor does it provide any information that the NSA can't get via the cell network about any phone. Indeed the network likely can provide triangulation. The link you referenced is nothing but innuendo intended to implicate 'Apple' somehow.

by gress 13y ago

jonknee 13y ago

Apple programmed a feature that cached all location data on a file on the iPhone. GCHQ's linked PowerPoint says "If it's on the phone, we can get it". Ergo, GCHQ and the NSA certainly had access to your cached location data if they wanted it. Maybe Apple intended this to be the case, maybe Apple did not, but the mere fact that the file existed is enough that it most certainly could have been scooped up by spooks.

gress 13y ago
No. "All the location data" was not cached. Only cell tower locations. "Maybe apple intended this to be the case" is baseless innuendo and has no place here. "If it's on the phone, we can get it" has separately been shown only to apply when the agencies have physical access to the device to extract data or implant malware. You seem to want to spread the idea that spies can access the real-time location of your iPhone remotely - which is what the parent post was fearing, but for which there is no evidence. What is your motive here?
- nitrogen 13y ago
  Cell tower data is sufficient to determine phone location via triangulation. Additionally, spies can get real-time data from the carrier directly, as can law enforcement. The parent comment said nothing about real-time access, but if someone has a remote exploit that gives filesystem access (and if jailbreakers can do it, then the NSA can, too), that location data file would provide a detailed history of the phone's location.
  - gress 13y ago
    No. Triangulation requires near-simultaneous signal strength readings from multiple towers at the time the position is to be computed. The cell tower cache you refer to does not contain that kind of data, so the data file des not provide a detailed history of the phones location. This has been shown by the people who investigated the file. An extremely coarse location, to the resolution of cell towers can be obtained from the file, but as we know, that is available to the phone network anyway. The parent comment talks about geolocation data at regular X minute intervals. This file does not provide that. Nor does it provide any information that the NSA can't get via the cell network about any phone. Indeed the network likely can provide triangulation. The link you referenced is nothing but innuendo intended to implicate 'Apple' somehow.