Secondo il Wall Street Journal – che sta pubblicando una bellissima serie di articoli sulla privacy online – sia Apple che Google raccolgono dati sulla localizzazione dagli smartphone. Servono a costruire database adeguati per il prossimo business: i location-based service.
In the case of Google, according to new research by security analyst Samy Kamkar, an HTC Android phone collected its location every few seconds and transmitted the data to Google at least several times an hour. It also transmitted the name, location and signal strength of any nearby Wi-Fi networks, as well as a unique phone identifier. [...] Apple, meanwhile, says it "intermittently" collects location data, including GPS coordinates, of many iPhone users and nearby Wi-Fi networks and transmits that data to itself every 12 hours, according to a letter the company sent to U.S. Reps. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Joe Barton (R-Texas) last year.
Wall Street Journal