Categories: Mobile

Apple continuously tracking and storing iPhone location data

The Apple iPhone and iPad with 3G connectivity constantly record and store location data to a file on the user’s device according to security researchers Pete Warden and Alasdair Allan. The two uncovered the existence of a “secret” file on iOS devices complete with legacy location data and will present their findings later today at Where 2.0 in San Francisco.

Visualisation of one user's vulnerable location data recorded by an iPhone

The file contains periodic records of latitude and longitude points, along with time references, on iOS 4.0 devices and above. Since the iOS 4 update was first released in June 2010, it’s possible that records may contain location data for up to one year.

The researchers stated in a blog post on O’Reilly Radar that iPhones are,

“regularly recording the position of your device into a hidden file. Ever since iOS 4 arrived, your device has been storing a long list of locations and time stamps.”

The “secret” file is then backed-up to users’ computers every time they synchronise their device with iTunes in an unencrypted and freely accessible form. Allan and Warden have also built a simple application, available on GitHub, that helps users visualise their own location data.

“What makes this issue worse is that the file is unencrypted and unprotected, and it’s on any machine you’ve synched with your iOS device. It can also be easily accessed on the device itself if it falls into the wrong hands. Anybody with access to this file knows where you’ve been over the last year, since iOS 4 was released.”

It’s not yet understood why Apple has started to collect this data, although it does appear intentional. The sensitive information is constantly backed-up and even follows users across Apple device migrations like hardware upgrades.

“We’re not sure why Apple is gathering this data, but it’s clearly intentional, as the database is being restored across backups, and even device migrations.”

The two researchers have approached Apple with their concerns but as of yet have received no official response. Further information concerning how the file was discovered and the data it contains is discussed by both Allan and Warden in the video below:

Albizu Garcia

Albizu Garcia is the Co-Founder and CEO of Gain -- a marketing technology company that automates the social media and content publishing workflow for agencies and social media managers, their clients and anyone working in teams.

Recent Posts

US wants digital ID for patients, providers & payers

Trump says the system will be 'entirely opt-in,' but HHS is looking to encourage, require…

14 hours ago

Why a proactive approach to threat exposure pays dividends 

Over the past year, not only has the frequency of cyberattacks skyrocketed across all industries…

20 hours ago

What Triggered Trump’s Outburst Against Stephen Colbert?

My favorite English teacher got fired. It was during the pre-Late-Show era that Colbert helped…

2 days ago

Is the U.S. Orchestrating the Biggest IPO the World Has Ever Seen?

Placing stablecoins under the purview of the U.S. regulatory system and Treasury was just the…

2 days ago

Circular economy is not compatible with rentier capitalism: Club of Rome

Life-as-a-Subscription: Malthusians are trading rentier capitalism for a stakeholder capitalism-run circular economy where you'll still…

3 days ago

Pentagon looks to acquire generative AI for influence activities: RAND

With the Pentagon's acquisition of deepfake capabilities & history of assisting Hollywood, distinguishing PSYOPs will…

4 days ago