iPhone is Storing Location Data on Users Even with Location Services Off

April 26th, 2011 by: Shane McGlaun

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If you are the sort that really takes your privacy seriously and you use an iPhone or an Android smartphone you may have been following the privacy scandal recently in the news. It was discovered that both the iPhone (and Android) devices were tracking users’ locations and could be used to send that data back to Apple, Google or other companies.

You’d think the fix would seem to be simply tuning off location services and then there would be no way for the iPhone to grab your location data. It’s not that simple though, the Wall Street Journal reports that the iPhone is storing location information even when location services are turned off – it’s just not transmitting it. However, when the phone has location services disabled, it doesn’t store precise GPS coordinates.

The privacy scandal has grown to the point that Rep. Edward Market (D. Mass) is calling for a congressional investigation into the storage of location information. Markey fears that hackers could get access to the information and kids using the device could be targeted.

What do you guys think? Is it a big deal that your smartphone keeps track of your location, or do you not care?

[via WSJ]