Those snoopy iPhones

[Commentary] The most talked-about feature of Apple's iPhones and iPads these days isn't a clever new software application. It's a hidden digital record on every device of the locations where it has been used — a numerical travelogue that effectively traces its owner's movements by noting the times and places it has been used.

The "consolidated.db" file has been discussed by security researchers for months, but it didn't receive widespread attention until the O'Reilly Radar technology blog published an expose April 20. Within a day, two members of Congress had dashed off letters to Apple demanding more information, including an explanation of why the data were being collected and stored in unencrypted form. And now several European countries are launching their own investigations. The data can be examined by anyone who takes physical possession of the device — a jealous lover, a thief, an attorney with a subpoena. So why all the fuss? Some of it stems from the suspicion that the devices are transmitting the logs back to Apple, which they don't appear to be doing. But another reason is the mystery around why the information is being recorded in the first place.