Media tries to divert attention from Apple tracking misdemeanours by claiming Microsoft does it too

April 27, 2011 | By Surur

smear It has been pretty clearly established that Apple keeps a never-ending log on the iPhone of a users comings and goings which leaves users vulnerable to their device revealing their activities to parties like customs officials, jealous or abusive partners, random police at traffic stops and basically anyone who can get their hands on your phone or PC for a few minutes.

Despite Microsoft coming forward early and clearly stating it only kept a single location on your phone until replaced by the next, unlike Android which keeps 250 records (about 3 weeks worth) and iPhone for at least a year, the media has now turned on the company and claimed, just like Apple, it too is tracking users. A good (poor) example is this article by Declan MCCullagh at CNET.

The issue centres around Microsoft collecting GPS and cellphone tower ID data, and also MAC addresses to build up a map which can be used to find locations without a GPS fix. Microsoft does this by uploading anonymized information with a unique ID, but unlike the iPhone users are able to opt out. The Wall Street Journal has found that the iPhone collects tracking data even when location services are switched off.

Of course this ignored the real and original issue: the huge collection of data silently being accumulated on iPhones which can at any moment turn into testimony against a user, and just like when Jobs claimed other phones also had the antenna-gate issue, is simply an attempt to excuse Apple by painting others in the same brush.

About Surur

Site Admin and Windows Phone enthusiast, he has been using Windows Mobile devices since before they were called PocketPC’s. He is currently sporting a HTC 7 Trophy.

Tagged editorial, iphone, microsoft, news, opinion, tracking

Denis J. Sharkaat

To put in simple terms; Apple owns many media related folks, their marketing is superb. This is no surprise to me whatsoever…
Benjamin R Mendez

Yeah jobs goes around giving ppl good blow jobs lol
http://twitter.com/WaterEarthFire @WaterEarthFire

Cnet is one of those anti-Microsoft SF Bay area sites; they have a natural affinity to their hometown heroes and view MS as the enemy. Also beware of IDG owned sites that end in the word "world" (PCWorld, Networkworld, Computerworld, Infoworld, Technewsworld, ITworld, etc.) they all operate in link baiting by trolling Microsoft mercilessly.

http://www.facebook.com/wixostrix Edwin Michael Rodriguez-Duplesis

One of my best friends reads PCWorld all the time. He would link me to articles and I would be like…this is such garbage. I even tried having it as one of my frequently checked sites, which only solidified my opinion of them being garbage lol. It's funny cuz he's a Windowsvl Vista guy and uses an iPhone 4.
zzz

I find Cnet actually pretty good. I'm not saying you never see a WTF article from them but they are clear #1 as far as overall unbiasedness is concerned. They cover wide variety of techs, not just gadgets. Engadget, Gizmodo and many others are run by Apple fanboy kids. Totally agree with you on the "World" sites. *shudder*

Denis J. Sharkaat

ARS tech is not bad either.

rsg

Let them hate, it's all good.

MS is the good guy here, this time round.
Bernard Angustia

You know what's the best part about this whole location privacy fiasco? That no one is asking about or cares about Blackberry or WebOS; they have truly become irrelevant, as evidenced by their decreasing market share numbers.

RWoody

In a Perfect world my HTC Arrive would Dual boot WP7 and webOS.

tjarren

Well not ALL of the 'media' …
http://gizmodo.com/#!5796033/watch-steve-jobs-tal…
RWoody

WOW! Someone paid the right people. If the original story had been about MS and Google (rightly so) then we'd never hear the end of how they are trying to get too much info.
http://twitter.com/IGXNick @IGXNick

Too many top sites are run by Apple fanboys and there is nothing we can do about it.. but this news story is covered every couple days on all the big sites so they can't really hide it.