Apple patented iPhone tracker in 2009

By Stewart Mitchell on Apr 29, 2011 7:32 AM
Filed under Hardware

Snooping plot thickens.

Apple's efforts to brush off criticism over location-tracking technology found it iOS4 devices suffered a blow yesterday when users uncovered a patent application the company filed for such a technology in 2009.

The iPhone manufacturer came under fire following the public disclosure that handsets were collecting data from GPS and Wi-Fi signals – a data set that formed a record of the user's whereabouts on the handset and on synchronised computers.

Other handsets perform similar tasks, but Apple yesterday denied tracking users and claimed that only a bug in the system was causing the phone to store location data on handsets for up to a year. Even data detailing which cells and Wi-Fi hotspots were in range need only be kept for a week, the company said.

This appears to contradict a patent application for “Location Histories for Location Aware Devices” that Apple filed with the US Patent and Trademark office in September 2009.

“A location-aware mobile device can include a baseband processor for communicating with one or more communication networks, such as a cellular network or Wi-Fi network,” Apple said in its patent application. “In some implementations, the baseband processor can collect network information (e.g., transmitter IDs) over time.”

“Upon request, the network information can be translated to estimated position coordinates of the location-aware device for display on a map view or for other purposes,” the patent claimed.

“A user or application can query the location history database with a timestamp or other query to retrieve all or part of the location history for display in a map view. The location history can be used to construct a travel timeline for the location-aware device.”

The Apple patent also made it clear that it planned to create a searchable history of users' whereabouts.

"The other information and location history can be part of a personal 'journal' for the user, which can be queried at a later time," the patent states.

Third-party access

Apple also planned, according to the patent, to allow third parties to see this data trail in a bid to build services around the system.

“The travel timeline can be used by location-aware applications running on the location-aware device or on a network,” Apple said at the time. “In some implementations, an Application Programming Interface (API) can be used by an application to query the location history database.”

This article originally appeared at pcpro.co.uk

8 comments in this discussion

"Is it ironic that the company that made that "Anti-BigBrother" ad in the 80's to tout it's new MacIntosh computers appears to be trying to become big brother?"

By spark64

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Comments: 8

robjsewell Apr 29, 2011 7:52 AM	Oh dear, what poor journalism. You cite part of Apple's patent and say, "Apple also planned, according to the patent, to allow third parties to see this data trail in a bid to build services around the system." That is not how the patent reads at all. Ot simply says that the resulting travel timeline can be used by location-aware applications. Great! I have loads of these installed on my device. They are useful to me. There is no statement here that the data will be shared with a third party. Further, the patent discusses a "personal journal". Since when did personal mean that data is shared with others? The author is merely stirring, the lowest form of journalism. If you want to see a company that is guilty of treating its users poorly and selling information to third parties, go see TomTom, not Apple. Why am I standing up for Apple? Simply because they have committed no crime, and that is because they are most probably too smart to try - they know what this would do to their reputation.
realitybites Apr 29, 2011 8:41 AM	"That is not how the patent reads at all. Ot simply says that the resulting travel timeline can be used by location-aware applications." That, to me, means exactly the same thing as what was written in the article. Apple are the only company I'm aware of that publicly deride their own customers, and seem to get away with it.
DazzaJ Apr 29, 2011 9:03 AM	At the end of the day, every phone system tracks users. Its why every phone has a UID. If its not tracked on the phone then its tracked on the network. The problem is how the company misuses the data, and Apple being apple, will use and abuse it customers to their last cent. Next they can start charging users by the mile! And of course they'll deny any knowledge and their flock will blindly believe them! And to translate for apple diehads " Baaa baa baaaaaa baa baa ba baaaa"
Daveh Apr 29, 2011 9:11 AM	robjsewell - You must be confused by the term 'third parties'. No, it doesn't mean a group of three young-adults sharing a residence and having zany misadventures (You know, like Party of Five). It means any not directly affiliated or acting under the auspices/on behalf of the first party (Apple). I know the nature of the AppStore could be confusing too, but ALL developers are THIRD PARTY developers, meaning any application which is given access to your phones API could take this data. This could potentially include a web-application which is designed to provide location aware advertising (Similar to that detailed in the patent) OR it could be used by a web application to provide location aware services to criminals. The biggest portion of the issue IS the 'Journaling' which - according to reports - works even when location services are off. So we have two issues now, one where it keeps a record of tracked locations and two where it tracks those locations even when the user has turned location services off. Now you can potentially add a third. When you use a location based service on your iphone, a small icon comes up to show that you are using location services (looks like a diagonal triangle/arrow). IF the location tracking is always occurring this icon should always be on. It isnt. So, is apple deceiving users?
Bob Apr 29, 2011 9:32 AM	"Locate my iPhone" is a feature on every iPhone and is well publicised. If you have MobileMe its a menu selection. It allows you to recover stolen iPhones. Not really news.
funkyg Apr 29, 2011 9:39 AM	I agree with Bob. They've found a patent for location services and are now trying to read things between the lines that simply aren't there.
Ace Apr 29, 2011 11:23 AM	It's the fact the locations are stored on the device and synched to a PC for and extended period of time that is the problem @Bob & @funkyg. Knowing where your iPhone was 2 months ago is not really that useful as a 'Locate my iPhone' feature. Apple claimed the retention was a bug - maybe along the lines of the Google Wifi data collection 'bug' - not great, but not the end of the world. Then it emerges that Apple intended to allow 'Location-aware' applications to use this data. How is it a 'bug' as Apple claimed, when they have a patent application that specifies the use of the very data it says they didn't intend to store? Are they lying? A non-fanboi would say so. Me, I'm just deeply suspicious :)
spark64 Apr 29, 2011 2:02 PM	Is it ironic that the company that made that "Anti-BigBrother" ad in the 80's to tout it's new MacIntosh computers appears to be trying to become big brother?