back to article Apple: No, China. iPhone is NOT public enemy number 1

Chinese state media have been warning that Apple's iPhone is a threat to national security, despite the firm's denials*. Why? It's all down to its creepy ability to track users and transmit data back to its Cupertinian overlords. A report broadcast on CCTV claimed the iPhone's "Frequent Locations" function was dangerously …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    No new dick extensions to China

    Finally China is leading the way. No new stubid dick extensions to execs. That is anyways so last season.

    1. Richard Jones 1

      Re: No new dick extensions to China

      Remember governments hate competition and the so called smart phones allow competitors to do what, (possibly better than the government) the government has been trying to do for years.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Big Brother

    "Without your consent"

    Apple doesn't need consent - it knows what people wants and goes ahead and does it while its users roll over and joyfully let their bellies get tickled.

    1. Down not across

      Quite.

      I think we've all seen it too many times that consumer electronics companies deny any data being collected (as in sent back to the company) until they get caught and can no longer deny it.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      RE: "Without your consent"

      Did you completely read those terms and conditions?

      You may find that you have already given consent!

      1. Tom 35

        Re: RE: "Without your consent"

        "You may find that you have already given consent!"

        You went and turned it on, didn't you...

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Apple doesn't need consent - it knows what people wants and goes ahead and does it while its users roll over and joyfully let their bellies get tickled.

      .. whereas Google simply lies to them. I find it interesting that this is so Apple focused, whereas the company that specialising in grabbing data in any shape or form by whatever means they can get away with is Google.

      In reality you cannot trust any phone.

      1. Cipher
        Big Brother

        .. whereas Google simply lies to them.

        Amen!

        And Verizon allows them hardware access, Microsoft gives them backdoors, Facebook, Yahoo, et.al. so many cooperative firms that the NSA needn't rely on breaking encryption, they merely gather it at the source. Almost all the major players do this type thing for their own gain and to please their government masters. Apple is hardly the Lone Ranger here...

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: .. whereas Google simply lies to them.

          And Verizon allows them hardware access, Microsoft gives them backdoors, Facebook, Yahoo, et.al. so many cooperative firms that the NSA needn't rely on breaking encryption, they merely gather it at the source. Almost all the major players do this type thing for their own gain and to please their government masters. Apple is hardly the Lone Ranger here...

          Let's be accurate here: a US company HAS NO CHOICE. If a US company (or one with a US HQ) gets a legal demand for data it has but one choice if it wants to avoid fines: roll over. I'm pretty sure that the whole of Silicon Valley would love to tell the 3 letter agencies to f*ck off when it's not about a reasonable suspicion of terrorist activity, but they have no leg to stand on due to a truly atrocious mix of federal laws. Sure, especially the ones that make a living profiling people such as Google and Facebook will probably make a good mint selling that data on, but your average cloud or hosting company can do without that risk because it hampers sales to any company in the EU.

          1. JaitcH
            WTF?

            Re: .. whereas Google simply lies to them.

            A lot of the data Apple, and Google, collects is completely superfluous to the operation of the handsets. If they didn't collect the NSA, et al, couldn't demand it.

            I'm with the Chinese, my data is MINE and not for others to sell.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              @JaitcH

              There are other types of data, of course, but the location data at issue here is collected by carriers so no matter what brand of phone you have your location is being tracked and recorded. The towers keep logs of attached devices by ESN and signal strength, and can determine your location to a pretty good degree. Google and Apple may have slightly more precise data, but they can definitely tell when you're "home" when you're at "work", and when you're at "your mistress' apartment".

              This is an issue for everyone, even those outside the US. Do you really believe the carriers in the UK or Germany never share that data with anyone? Or that the database is hackproof?

              If I lived in China frankly I wouldn't care about a US company, or the US government, having my location data. If I was some important government official or an officer of a major corporation, OK, then it matters, but for the common man? I would much rather have China tracking my location than the US, simply because China doesn't have any reason to care about me and can't do anything to me with that knowledge. I don't think that's true of my own government. But since I can't use a Chinese carrier, in reality it makes no difference.

              Maybe the Chinese should all own US smartphones, and Americans should all own Chinese smartphones... Let the "other guy" track us, and make it less likely our own government can do so.

              The Chinese government doesn't really care, either way they can track their citizens through the carriers, with whom they have a far closer relationship than the US does to its carriers.

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      "Without your consent"

      And you consent in the T&C you clicked "I agree" on without reading when you first set up the device.

      Just tell them it only happens when you consent, they won't remember consenting anyway.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    This might just be the most ironic bit of PR ever

    Given China's undoubtedly dubious history of tracking its own people....

    1. Anonymous Blowhard

      Re: This might just be the most ironic bit of PR ever

      Mr. Kettle: Hello Mr. Pot.

      Mr. Pot: Hello Mr. Kettle; you're looking a bit black today!

    2. TheOtherHobbes

      Re: This might just be the most ironic bit of PR ever

      >Given China's undoubtedly dubious history of tracking its own people....

      Lucky us to be living somewhere that doesn't happen.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    they already destroyed the evidence.

    Someone already found that user lifetime of locations.

    'Shocked' Jobs had to delete it.

    So it only tracks you for a month now.

    1. Captain Queeg

      Re: they already destroyed the evidence.

      Or do "they" just hide it better now?

      Would foil wrapping my handset help? :-)

  5. Anonymaus Cowark
    Black Helicopters

    tracking movement patterns

    maybe then the world would find out that china lets people walk around the block so that it appears more populated than it actually is.

    Obviously that is a china state secrect and now the helicopters are approaching my position...

    should not have bought an iphone ...

  6. Alistair MacRae

    US spying is finally starting to affect US business...

    Guess that finally will make them change their ways :P.

  7. Caesarius
    Terminator

    It's just a smoke-screen

    Surely the Chinese have an iPhone rip-off and are selling it in the rest of the world so that they can track people too? Surely they should have kept quiet, because complaining only raises awareness? </tongueInCheek>

    (I think I'm getting the hang of this icon...)

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: It's just a smoke-screen

      Yes, and given that the PRC would likely do the same with any iPheng knock-offs, this is all probably about business and *not* security. I.e., good old protectionism disguised as concern about security.

      Just as Japan once closed its borders to keep Christianity out, perhaps China is taking a page from their book to close domestic markets and keep the Jesus phone out?

  8. Ruairi Newman 1

    So much of an enemy that they still manufacture the phones for Apple.

    On the other hand, all this really says to me is "Phones manufactured for Chinese companies feed intelligence back to the Chinese government, so we assume phones manufactured for American companies are doing the same."

    The moral of the story is, don't buy phones from Chinese-owned companies.

  9. Zot

    Does it still collect data when...

    ...you turn Location Services off? Turning it off is supposed to save battery life so it must be stopping something. I would like to know, because if it continues to leak data, then I'm not buying one.

    I don't use a fondle-phone anyway, so I'm not in any Apple/Google debate.

    1. Mike Bell

      Re: Does it still collect data when...

      If you believe Apple's statements on the matter, turning Location Services off turns them off. You can also turn them off on an app-by-app basis. You can also get notified (with an icon) when a so-authorised app actually tries to make use of Location services.

      1. Dave 126

        Re: Does it still collect data when...

        >Does it still collect data when... ...you turn Location Services off? Turning it off is supposed to save battery life so it must be stopping something. I would like to know, because if it continues to leak data, then I'm not buying one.

        Turning off location services on most devices will save power by not using the GPS chip, and possibly saving more power by not using the WiFi and cellular chips as much (since they are used to assist the satellite location).

        Whether the device transmits this data to another party depends on the OS, the settings, apps installed, permissions, presence of malware etc

        1. ThomH

          Re: Does it still collect data when...

          .., it'll still know your broad location though, as it will still know which cell towers it is near. That being said, the cell towers know when you're near them so if a government wanted to track a mobile phone user in slightly broad terms, it could do so regardless of the handset.

  10. ItsNotMe

    "Beijing fears it could beam secrets back to America"

    Oh not to worry China...the NSA takes care of that.

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: "Beijing fears it could beam secrets back to America"

      How is operation spy-on-china-with-an-iPhone going Bond?

      Very good M, we have confirmed that the Chinese are in China.

      Excellent, now about the intern that came up with the name of the project - go and show him your licence to kill

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Apple "greedy" and "incomparably arrogant"

    CCTV seems to have a pretty good handle on things...

  12. busycoder99

    China:

    All your tracking are belong to us!

  13. Bucky 2

    Don't forget that the iPhone is ALSO dangerous if you cobble together a charger out of drinking straws and chewing gum and then plug the Frankenstein-inspired gizmo into a Chinese wall socket.

POST COMMENT House rules

Not a member of The Register? Create a new account here.

  • Enter your comment

  • Add an icon

Anonymous cowards cannot choose their icon

Other stories you might like