Stocks too, actually.
It’s been found that Apple has been spying on iPhone users by sending back info on your IMEI and iPhone usage by secretly phoning home the information everytime an iPhone user uses the Weather and Stock widgets built into the phones.
Say what?
Website uneasysilence claims that there is code embeded in the widgets (and presumably others as well - is Mail part of this?) that tracks the information and sends it back to the mothership via a special URL, and the site says it has proof. So when you update the Weather or check on your AAPL stock on the phone, Apple knows the specific phone you’re using, your IP address, your weather interests - and your stocks. And this info collection is done worldwide. Huh?
Fine print in your iPhone EULA says you actually agreed to this invasion of privacy:
When you interact with Apple, we may collect personal information relevant to the situation, such as your name, mailing address, phone number, email address, and contact preferences; your credit card information and information about the Apple products you own, such as their serial numbers and date of purchase; and information relating to a support or service issue.”
If you use the iPhone legally, there’s hope that you might be able to do something about it, but those among us with unlocked and jailbroken units might not have a leg to stand on as far as this invasion of privacy is concerned.
If this is true, it’s the height of irony that the original Mac ad about Big Brother watching is true - and that Apple is Big Brother.
November 20th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
Yup! Because I don’t use Weather.app and Stock.app
Actually, I only jailbreak-ed my Touch so I can install/use Books.app — a nifty eBook reader which I get to use more frequently than its iPod (audio and video) function.
November 20th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
Wonderful news, then! Still, a cautionary tale to be sure. (Can you be sure your iPod Touch is exempt too, Berns?)
November 20th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
Someone did a quick “sniff” of the traffic created by Stocks and Weather and no data was found to be sent to Apple. [reference: http://www.crunchgear.com/2007/11/19/sniffer-confirms-apple-not-rotten/]