A Distinctive Taste
A collection and interpretation of media and influences. Designed for the mindset that appreciates style, substance, and creativity.
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Link reblogged from ANTI-PROPAGANDA
‘Microsoft is being sued for intentionally designing camera software on the Windows 7 phone to ignore requests not to be tracked. This lawsuit happens only months after it was reported that iPhones collected and stored location data of their users and that TomTom GPS’ forwarded information to the police.
Microsoft ‘intentionally designed software for phones to track customers without their consent’
Microsoft allegedly tracks the location of its mobile customers even after users request that tracking software be turned off, according to a new lawsuit.
The proposed class action, filed in a Seattle federal court on Wednesday, says Microsoft intentionally designed camera software on the Windows Phone 7 operating system to ignore customer requests that they not be tracked.
A Microsoft representative could not immediately be reached for comment.
Spying: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer talks about the Windows 7 phone which is said to have devices which can track its customers
The lawsuit comes after concerns surfaced earlier this year that Apple’s iPhones collected location data and stored it for up to a year, even when location software was supposedly turned off. Apple issued a patch to fix the problem.
However, the revelation prompted renewed scrutiny of the nexus between location and privacy.
At a hearing in May, U.S. lawmakers accused the tech industry of exploiting location data for marketing purposes — a potentially multibillion-dollar industry — without getting proper consent from millions of Americans.
The lawsuit against Microsoft cites a letter the company sent to Congress, in which Microsoft said it only collects geolocation data with the express consent of the user.
‘Microsoft’s representations to Congress were false,’ the lawsuit says.
The litigation, brought on behalf of a Windows Phone 7 user, claims Microsoft transmits data — including approximate latitude and longitude coordinates of the user’s device — while the camera application is activated.
It seeks an injunction and punitive damages, among other remedies.
The case in U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington is Rebecca Cousineau, individually on her own behalf and on behalf of all others similarly situated v. Microsoft Corp., 11-cv-1438.
Shout out to:anti-propaganda
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zadi:
Got an iPhone or 3G iPad? Apple is recording your moves
Today at Where 2.0 Alasdair Allan and Pete Warden will announce the discovery that your iPhone, and your 3G iPad, is regularly recording the position of your device into a hidden file. Ever since iOS 4 arrived, your device has been storing a long list of locations and time stamps. We’re not sure why Apple is gathering this data, but it’s clearly intentional, as the database is being restored across backups, and even device migrations.
What makes this issue worse is that the file is unencrypted and unprotected, and it’s on any machine you’ve synched with your iOS device. It can also be easily accessed on the device itself if it falls into the wrong hands. Anybody with access to this file knows where you’ve been over the last year, since iOS 4 was released.
via jennydeluxe’s twitter: O’Reilly Radar
Interesting…
