Read the small print: why prosecution phone tracking are false (digital trends)

America. Earth in the hot coffee and frivolous intent trials. Yesterday, two residents of the County of Oakland, Michigan filed a lawsuit against Google for would have followed their comings and goings "just as if by"a monitoring device for which a mandate ordered the Court would be normally required."." The two owners of phones HTC applicants based on 4 G, which move on Google's Android operating system. They want that 50 million dollars in damages and a court order requiring Google stop monitoring of users of its products.

"We provide users with advice and control over the collection, sharing and use of location", said Chris Gaither, spokesman for Google, Bloomberg. "No location data are returned to the Google location servers are anonymized and is not linked or traceable to a specific user."

This trial is ridiculous, and here's why.

On an Android phone, when you enable the "wireless networks" geocentric services by Google, it specifically asks you to agree or disagree "enable Google location service collect anonymous location data." Collection occurs even when no applications are running. ?

You can turn GPS location services or disable without an "agreement" warning, but none of your localization applications will work well (or not at all) with the only GPS and Google do anonymously track GPS data straight.

On their own, GPS, systems at actually took a few minutes to locate your site. This is why modern phones use assisted GPS, which "helps" GPS by triangulation technology your position by using close to known hotspots Wi - Fi and cell phone towers. Putting in cache (storage) a small amount of wireless data sometimes, a smartphone can grossly discover where you are. Without this, the GPS experience work well at all, partly by reason of the GPS technology and partially because the GPS chips in mobile phones are very small and inexpensive.

I have a real HTC Inspire 4 G and confirm that the options are the same as a standard phone Android. HTC has not altered the parameters as it does in many parts of Android with HTC Sense, the custom user experience layer it bugs on Google OS. The Inspire has a feature that some other phones did not, however: "Finder telephone" service which "allows you to find your phone when it is lost or stolen." The box has been checked when my phone arrived. They continued on this service, however it seems that HTC would be part of the prosecution.

What these savvy men should do, it is buy iPhone and continue Apple instead, as a similar New York duo. Unlike Google, Apple is not currently warn users before they rely on services GPS; they are only warned when they commit to the iTunes, terms and Conditions each time that a new update. South Park ran a humorous episode on this two days previously.

Apple claims that it does not follow the iPhone users, but a bug recently exhibited in the iPhone shows that it retains a non-encrypted log where was a general user for one year. The file is stored locally on the user's computer. Some police have known about the bug for some time and have used the data stored locally with investigations. Apple says it will resolve this bug, but continually reiterated that, although it stores a file of the recent locations on a users machine, it does not follow the data user himself. Data is stored, but Apple says that he doesn't have a copy of itself. The iPhone is not also store the exact coordinates; It shows only close phone cell towers "as much as 100 miles away." Using these raw cell tower data, the location-based apps iPhone discover your comings and goings General and offer services and relevant ads.

Microsoft has not yet been prosecuted, but as Google, it too collects anonymous location data.

If Google, Apple and Microsoft cannot store location data necessary for the performance of their services, without legal action and then someone should begin to pursue telecommunications wireless, because the Sprint, Verizon and AT & T know earned much more than any other topic where you are and what you are up to. For example, AT & T recently began sending marketing location-aware users messages when they arrive near shops. Carriers also routinely sell information about users of the application of the law and can do what they want with your site. Such as Apple, all they really need to do is bury a text deeply within an agreement of terms and Conditions. At least Google notifies you from the beginning. You can have location-based services if the phone cannot communicate and send its location (anonymously) to GPS satellites or ping local telephone towers and hot spots. These two applicants to Michigan purchased smartphones that are marketed with basic functions such as the "Navigation" and "Places", which are built in. When you buy a phone from Google, you know that you get Google Maps and other Google services. In addition, HTC phones really to turn on location services to see the weather on your home screen. These two gentlemen probably agreed upon location warning message when they activated their devices.

They ask not how their phone knew that they lived in Oakland County, Michigan? At them, that it was magic? Google is warning users of its Android localization service and makes it relatively simple to enable or disable adequately. I turn my GPS and all the time. If you plan to buy a smartphone, you need to learn what services you are opting in. If only good sense taken into account in our judicial system.