> Microsoft declined to comment when contacted by The Reg. ®
You mean - <gasp> - shock horror - you can actually *contact* Microsoft??!!
Microsoft is facing a lawsuit that claims it tracks the location of its smartphone users, even if they ask not to be followed. A class action suit was proposed against Microsoft in a filing in the Seattle federal court. The filing alleged that the software giant had lied in its letter to Congress in May this year, when it said …
... that they can accomplish epic fsckups (NT4.0 Server SP3 anyone?) and will at least have somebody talk to you, whereas Apple can do no wrong and admit nothing.
<random thought> If Apple had a clothing line, you imagine the IP lawsuits over black turtlenecks? </random thought>
;)
The then-latest update a month or two back to Angry Birds on Android not only wanted my location data but access to my SMS messages, contact list, phone and identity and full internet access. That's just too much personal data - especially for a damned GAME. I declined the update and removed AB from my phone. Didn't play it very much anyway.
I have some US Govt "Sensitive" level data in my contact list and I just don't need some fscking GAME accessing it!
Collecting all sorts of data digitally is just too easy, almost free. So it seems to me these companies do it just on whim. Or even forget in some test logging code that should have been removed at release, but wasn't.
The only way to make technology companies to sit up and take notice is put very harsh sanctions on such privacy violations. Like confiscation of every unit containing the violation. This might have the effect of actually making them review their products from this point of view.
Like i would care anyway , Im sure its not to hard to disable if u dont like it and anyway if u are so sensitive about such things U can just by a normal phone with no gps or data connection , what makes u think the cell phone companys dont keep tracking data of callers from cell tower locations anyway ...
@Cormu
Not sure what phone/PC you use to write comments but you appear to have been able to disable the shift keys and don't seem able to use other grammatical aids, such as full stops and apostrophes. An example of user control going too far?
If you had read the article you would have seen that the court case is about a tracking capability that the user isn't informed about, which makes it a little hard to disable - don't you agree?
Any evidence yet? Can't somebody with w WinPhone7 device verify this (I think it should be easy if it does this "everytime you start the camera app")....?
Or is this another case of "HELP - MY PHONE IS SPYING ON ME" because it inserts coords into the Exif data of your pics?
Come on, El Reg, a bit more details, please...?