Hi Country!

Oh my...can you say 'stalking'...YIKES!

I am uncomfortable with alot of this type of stuff, but then again it's things like this that can find you should you need help.

I still don't think I'll get one though!

nola anne

That is very misleading. Before this information is transmitted the user is asked if it is permissable to do so, several of the apps utilize this data. Around Mr, Speed Trap, and several others that are on my phone do so. But in order for them to work efficiently I enable the tracking.

With every app on my phone that uses the gps on it, it asks me if I want my location to be used. I have the option to click yes or no. None of my pictures have the gps on them. Foursquare does. It's a *choice*.

Doesn't bother me. I love my iPhone.

Yup - you do not have to allow yourself to be tracked. It does point out the fact that you need to understand what you're doing with technology though or you can be doing things you never intended to be doing.

I heard on the local news today that someone was convicted of identity theft. The case involved hacking into someone's Facebook account and taking their photos and posting them on a porn site. So heads up Facebook users who post all the intimate details of your personal life out there.

The iPhone users that I know are aware of it.

Just a bit more info on this.

Here is a link that might be useful: More Info

I don't why they're calling it "secret" when iPhone users already know it exists.

My family has several iPhone users, and they are well aware of it.

CB, thanks, that was an interesting read. I think there was something about it on the news last year, there was also something about similar hacking and tracking of blackberries. I really don't think there is anything secret about it tho, and any hope of anonymity is long past! LOL!! With the GPS tracking and all the wifi tracking, there's no place to hide!

Guess what....all mobile phones sold in the US for the past 8-10 years have FCC mandated tracking capability built in, with a true GPS chip or similar chip - for 911 centers to locate a caller.

I remember years ago, in the late 1990's, making a 911 call on my cell phone as I was passing out in my car in a Burger King parking lot. The GPS mandate was nor in effect, and in the condition I was in - could not communicate where I was - all I could say was "Burger King". Thankfully, EMTs somehow arrived in time, and gave me CPR.

So...I am thankful my non-iphone has tracking.
As Martha says "It's a good thing".

I understand GPS being on all phones and think it's great. Knowing where I am now could save my life. . Knowing where I've gone every minute of the last year (not to mention carrying that info over onto my next phone) is none of any ones business, and would be very troublesome to me.

Are you really signing a release for that?!!!

I guess if I was a spy, I'd have a problem with it.

But since I'm not a spy and have nothing to hide, I don't care if anyone wants to map out my weekly trips to the grocery store and an occasional visit to the hair salon.

It doesn't bother me in the least. They'll see I lead a yo-yo life. To work. Home. To work. Home. To work. Home. To the grocery store. Home. To work. Home. To work. Home.

Besides, with millions of iPhones sold, do you honestly think they're sitting there watching each indidual to see who is doing what?

From what I was hearing today about this it's not an option to just turn it off. There's a disagreement on how detailed it gets but even with the GPS "shut off" it does track the cell towers and wifi hotspots being used which gives a pretty good idea on where you've been.

I guess I equate it to the trackers on vehicles that log your driving.

And BTW, Kindle owners, did you know you're in the same boat? Interesting.

It's the daily privacy scare.

Cell phones have been ratting out your whereabouts since the 1980s. That way when someone calls, the system can find your phone to ring it. That's why O.J. couldn't flee the country in the white bronco all those years ago- he left his phone on and they tracked his location on the highway.

The iPhone/iPad position tracking can't be seen unless you have physical access to the device, or a computer it docks with. A remote hacker can't see this data over the internet.

And webcams all over the place. Do you think you're not on video half your day? How do you think they catch criminals 98% of the time (watch Dateline, odds are they always have their suspect on video somewhere doing something they can use to convict them).

As long as I'm not doing anything illegal, they can track me all they want. Only a guilty person has something to worry about. And if you're doing something illegal, leave your phone (or Kindle, or computer....) at home and watch for those camera's which most of us never even notice.

Which reminds me, before my vacation to Amsterdam, I was excited to walk down Kalverstraat. I know there are several webcams there as I watched them often before my trip. I walked down that mall 3 times. And not once could I figure out where they put those cameras. And I was looking for them.

This is 2011. We are all being watched. Through our credit cards. Store points cards. Webcams. Store surveillence cameras. If you have nothing to hide, it won't matter.