A Democratic congressman on Wednesday said he was "pleased" by Apple's response on the iPhone tracking issue, but he still had questions about using that data for targeted ads.
Separately, Apple CEO Steve Jobs told All Things D that a representative from the company will likely be in attendance at a May 10 Senate hearing on the issue.
Earlier this week, Rep. Edward Markey of Massachusetts expressed concern that the location data collected by Apple might be accessible to sexual predators. Last week, he also sent a letter to Jobs asking for more information about iPhone tracking.
At issue is the location-based data collected by devices running iOS 4. Last week, researchers said that that information was stored in an insecure manner and accessible to anyone who stumbled upon your iPhone, iPad, or the computer with which you synced your iOS device. That prompted concerns that Apple, and anyone who looked at that data, could track your whereabouts.
Apple remained quiet on the issue until today. In a Q&A posted on its Web site, it said "Apple is not tracking the location of your iPhone. Apple has never done so and has no plans to ever do so."
Apple did, however, admit that it was storing too much data. "The reason the iPhone stores so much data is a bug we uncovered and plan to fix shortly," the company said. "We don't think the iPhone needs to store more than seven days of this data."
Apple also said it will fix a bug whereby an iPhone will continue to update its Wi-Fi and cell tower data even if location-based services are turned off. The next major iOS software release will also encrypt the cache on the iPhone.
In addition, Apple is working on a crowd-sourced traffic database "with the goal of providing iPhone users an improved traffic service in the next couple of years," the company said.
In response, Markey said he was pleased that Apple would encrypt local information, stop backing up the data when syncing, and ditch data after seven days.
"However, the Apple Q&A raises questions about the use of location information for targeted advertising to iPhone users. I will be following up with Apple to get clarification on this issue," Markey said. "Location information is extremely sensitive and must be safeguarded. By providing these additional consumer controls, using an Apple everyday should help keep the predators away."
Markey's Republican colleagues in the House, meanwhile, have also asked Apple for information about how it uses location-based services, but have also written to Google, Microsoft, Nokia, Research in Motion, and HP for similar information.
Rep. Fred Upton, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, as well as Reps. Greg Walden, Lee Terry, Mary Bono Mack, and Marsha Blackburn, penned a letter asking how the data is accessed, whether it can be transferred, and to what extent a user has control over this data, among other things. They have asked the companies to respond no later than May 9.
In a Q&A posted on its Web site, Microsoft said it "assembles and maintains a database that records the location of certain mobile cell towers and Wi-Fi access points," much like Apple.
Over in the Senate, Sen. Al Franken and the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on the matter at 10am on May 10. Representatives from Apple and Google have been invited, and Jobs said Apple will probably be there.
"I think Apple will be testifying," Jobs told ATD. "They have asked us to come and we will honor their request, of course."
Jobs also stressed that the data collected by Apple is "anonymous, crowdsourced information that we collect from the tens of millions of iPhones out there."
He also said that the hysteria over the issue has more to do with a lack of understanding than an actual Big Brother scenario. "As new technology comes into the society there is a period of adjustment and education," he said.
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