Researchers have discovered a file on the Apple iPhone and iPad that reportedly saves every detail of its owner's movements.
The data file in the mobile 3G devices is then copied to the user's computer during synchronisation, reports The Guardian.
"Apple has made it possible for almost anybody - a jealous spouse, a private detective - with access to your phone or computer to get detailed information about where you've been," said security researcher Pete Warden.
The file details the latitude and longitude of the phone's recorded co-ordinates. It also records a timestamp, revealing where the phone was at different times of the day.
The recording file was thought to be issued in June 2010 with Apple's iOS 4 update to the phone's operating system.
"This is a worrying discovery. Location is one of the most sensitive elements in anyone's life - just think where people go in the evening," said Simon Davies of Privacy International.
Davies added: "The existence of that data creates a real threat to privacy. The absence of notice to users or any control option can only stem from an ignorance about privacy at the design stage."
The iPhone is thought to be the only mobile phone that tracks its owner's movements and data with such a file.
Warden and fellow data scientist Alasdair Allan investigated Google's Android phone and did not find a similar tracking code. The researchers are to present their findings on Wednesday at the Where 2.0 conference in San Francisco.
"We haven't come across any instances of other phone manufacturers doing this," said Allen.
The file apparently moves to new devices when the owner replaces or upgrades their iPhone. It also records data whether or not the user agrees to allow their data to be tracked.
"The fact that [the file] is transferred across [to a new iPhone or iPad] when you migrate is evidence that the data-gathering isn't accidental," Allen added.
Warden and Allan launched the iPhone Tracker information website to answer consumer questions about their discovery. The site also offers a downloadable application that will display the data the iPhone is recording.
"Apple has made it possible for almost anybody - a jealous spouse, a private detective - with access to your phone or computer to get detailed information about where you've been," said security researcher Pete Warden.
The file details the latitude and longitude of the phone's recorded co-ordinates. It also records a timestamp, revealing where the phone was at different times of the day.
The recording file was thought to be issued in June 2010 with Apple's iOS 4 update to the phone's operating system.
"This is a worrying discovery. Location is one of the most sensitive elements in anyone's life - just think where people go in the evening," said Simon Davies of Privacy International.
Davies added: "The existence of that data creates a real threat to privacy. The absence of notice to users or any control option can only stem from an ignorance about privacy at the design stage."
The iPhone is thought to be the only mobile phone that tracks its owner's movements and data with such a file.
Warden and fellow data scientist Alasdair Allan investigated Google's Android phone and did not find a similar tracking code. The researchers are to present their findings on Wednesday at the Where 2.0 conference in San Francisco.
"We haven't come across any instances of other phone manufacturers doing this," said Allen.
The file apparently moves to new devices when the owner replaces or upgrades their iPhone. It also records data whether or not the user agrees to allow their data to be tracked.
"The fact that [the file] is transferred across [to a new iPhone or iPad] when you migrate is evidence that the data-gathering isn't accidental," Allen added.
Warden and Allan launched the iPhone Tracker information website to answer consumer questions about their discovery. The site also offers a downloadable application that will display the data the iPhone is recording.
