Do we really know all the features of the electronic devices we carry with us on a daily basis. Many of the popular smart phone operating systems automatically track gps locations and record the data. iPhones and Android phones are both known for tracking locations. Even photos taken on a cell phone often have geotag data stored without any notification. The geotags allow people to easily see where you live, work, shop, park your car, etc.
I was amazed at how easily someone can find where a photo was taken. After seeing the above video, I thought, “Wow, good thing I keep my gps turned off!” When I looked at the photo album on my Android phone, I was shocked to see an album caption listing all the cities where the photos had been taken including where I live, work and shop. I tried numerous times and ways to disable this feature but did not have much luck. Finally I had to disable applications from accessing network location data. I have found it to be an annoyance since now I have to always type in my location. This almost defeats the purpose of having a smartphone. But why are cell phone makers, not allowing numerous privacy settings??!!
Recently the iphone 4 was tested with the location services disabled. Even after the features were disabled, the iphone stored location data with up to a years worth of information. Apple has not commented on the findings but it’s speculated that the data collected will help both Apple and Google map wifi connections.
Users’ location-based data would be helpful in building maps and other resources. Google and Apple currently “taps the $2.9 billion market for location-based services — expected to rise to $8.3 billion in 2014, according to research firm Gartner Inc.”
Marketers already have quite a few ways to track personal information allowing personalized advertisements sent/displayed to the consumer. When posting content or photos online, it’s important to be aware of your phone settings.
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