Bad news for iPhone owners who are concerned about their privacy. A recent report from the Chicago Sun Times suggests the iPhone is a popular handset amongst investigators as the device reportedly compiles a treasure trove of information about its owner and coughs it up with relative ease.
According to the report, the iPhone stores a wide variety of sensitive information that can track and identify its owner including
- screen shots that number in the hundreds and are grabbed by the iPhone when the current user shuts down an application or switches between applications
- uploaded photos that contain embedded GPS co-ordinates as well as the iPhone’s unique serial number
- keystrokes that are cached as part of the self-learning autocorrect feature
- browser history that can be deleted but is easily restored with the right tools and a bit of “know how”
- map location data that is stored as a screen shot when an user closes out the Map application
All this sensitive information is stored and made accessible for the practical purpose of improving your phone’s performance. Other mobile platforms store similar information but the iPhone reportedly stores more than its competition. For many, though, this is a non-issue and they will gladly exchange some privacy for a faster and more personalized phone. Others who concerned about protecting their personal and identifiable information will recognize that this collective information can paint an accurate and often unwanted picture of your life.
This situation reminds me of the Twitter tool that predicts your sleep patterns based on your Tweets. Though it may be enjoyable to use your device of choice, the collective information that may be gleaned from your stored data is a bit unsettling, no?
[Via The Chicago Sun Times]