Seems after all the bad press Apple and Google got for tracking thier users phones they would let you opt out, seems they haven't.
Is there anyway to kill the big brother on these phones? I always leave my GPS off to save battery life anyways, but always feel like they are always tracking me now lol.
Yes, I am wearing my tin foil hat in cause you were wondering.
Nobody is really "tracking" you. Whenever you use location services (many apps do location calls) with your phone (via WiFi or the cellular network) a entry is added to a file listing the date,time,coordinates,MAC or cell tower address.
Yes, this file is saved on your phone so theoretically it could be read and the info transmitted.
If you want to see what's in your file, download this app:
Note: You must have root to use. Not sure if there is a non root version.
Location Cache by remydemy
Here's a map when I went on vacation to NYC for a week:
Looks like I was all over Manhatten the past week. Thanks for... on Twitpic
Another just around my hometown of Nashville, TN
My Android phone is tracking me! It's cool to see where... on Twitpic
I work for FedEx, that's why the Nashville locations are so spread out.
If it's a cell tower location, it's accuracy is between 75 feet to a mile or so. If it's a WiFi location, it can be accurate to less than 50 feet. (thanks to all those war drivers that have mapped WiFi locations over the years)
Yea, it's kinda creepy taken at face value. As of right now, I don't know of a way to disable the creation of the file. And since the news reports / outrage about this issue faded as quickly as it began, Apple and Google probably will continue business as usual.
