And you will know us by the trail of our IMEI number
Conspiracy theories sure are fun.
A forum post Friday about a curious line of code in Apple's iPhone quickly grew into suspicions that the company was tracking all kinds of data after a blogger picked up the tin foil and ran Sunday night. Apparently when you check stocks or weather on the iPhone, the application sends a string of code back to an Apple Web server that appears to send the device's IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number along with the query.
After further review, your iPhone isn't sending your stock data to Apple.
(Credit: CNET Networks)This line of code: dgw?imei=%@&apptype=finance, was apparently enough to suggest to many people with access to the Internet that Apple knows how badly your portfolio is doing over the last two weeks. Cooler heads prevailed, however. Heise Security analyzed the code string and said the iPhone isn't sending that number, which is used to identify handsets on GSM networks. Most often, it's used to blacklist phones that have been reported stolen.
Heise said the iPhone is sending something back to Apple, but it's much more likely some type of general usage data (cookies, anyone?) that Apple and many companies track to detect usage patterns. Apple did not respond to a request for comment on the IMEI code.
That didn't prevent dozens of bloggers and writers from jumping onboard during a slow news day, and few appear to have gone back and updated their posts with the fact that the IMEI number isn't actually leaving the handset in the code outlined above. Digg at least threw up a message saying "Warning: The Content in this Article May be Inaccurate," but that's not exactly a repudiation, either.
Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Internet search, including Google, Yahoo, online advertising, and portals, as well as the evolution of mobile computing. He has written about traditional PC companies, chip manufacturers, and mobile computers, spending the last three years covering Apple. E-mail Tom.
This statement seems to indicate the researcher doesn't really know what data is being sent to Apple. My question is, "How does he know what is not being sent if he doesn't know what is being sent?"
This seems like a case of the ignorant advising the paranoid.
If I bought an iPhone, which I didn't, I would upset to learn that any data about how I use the phone is being sent to anyone--no matter how they use it.
Freedom in America--the freedom of corporations to invade my privacy and my personal freedom to accept the invasion as inevitable.
While there was a number in the HTTP requests sent to the Apple server, it did not correspond with the iPhone's IMEI. In addition, a weather query contains a different "imei" parameter than the one from the Stock applet. On the other hand tests with a second iPhone showed a different set of "imei" again.
I totally understand the privacy concerns, but if it's not a personally identifiable number that's being sent, I don't see how it's any different from just surfing the Web or using a Web application.
I don't really care what the data is that the IPhone is sending to Apple, just the fact that it is sending anything at all is enough.
These companies have no respect for privacy any more.
Just sending data, no matter what it is, can be used to tell that the phone was used. I feel this type of information is between the phone owner and their service provider. Just because Apple manufactures the phone does not give them the right to collect ANY information from it without express permission from the owner.
This is a word many companies don't seem to understand any more. OWNER. It means this device belongs to me, and how dare these companies have it send them data (no matter the type of data) without my knowledge or permission every time it's used.
You know, Microsoft and Apple are just two sides of the same coin.
Jesus... In 200 years, we went from "I regret but I have one life to give for my country" to this?
none news like this?
There are people starving to death in 30 countries.
For crying out loud. Bleat about that.
- Digg is owned by micros**t
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by Nigel Ashton
November 19, 2007 10:50 PM PST
- Now that Digg is owned by micros**t I wouldn't trust a single word.
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(9 Comments)Warning, this 'news' may be total BS.