Apple blames bug for location data file, plans policy changes

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Responding to accusations that the iPhone tracks users with an unencrypted file, Apple said the file is part of a crowd-sourced database of WiFi hotspots and cell towers that stores so much information — up to a year of location data — because of a bug in its latest version of iOS.

Individual users cannot be located based on the data, the company said. Apple said it sees no reason to store data for more than seven days and will fix the bug in an upcoming update. Apple said it will update software to fix three issues in iOS 4: It will reduce the size of the database file on each individual handset, stop backing up the cache and delete the cache if users opt out of location services. The company will also encrypting the cache in its next major software release, making it more difficult to access the file should a phone fall into the wrong hands.


Apple blames bug for location data file, plans policy changes Apple Q&A on Location Data (Apple statement)