A hidden iPhone feature tracks its users every move, listing the exact times that one spends on locations every single day, from the moment a person arrives to that point to the time he or she leaves. The feature is automatic, logging in even the length of time spent on each recorded location. The feature is now raising some privacy concerns, as the data could be subpoenaed for both criminal and civil court cases.
"One of the concerning things is, this is hidden from you in your phone," Noah Swartz, staff technologist at Electronic Frontier Foundation, said in a CBS News report. "This could be used by abusive partners. It could be used by police in an investigation. It could be used by your boss or your company if you gave them access to your phone or if you're using a work phone."
The data collected by the feature, called "Frequent Locations," remains private, if Apple is to be believed. It is turned on by default in order to allow the company to provide more personalized services, Today reported. In addition, it is also said to remain private unless the user consents to sending the recorded data to Apple's servers, where it is used to contribute to the improvement of the company's services, such as the Maps application. It could also be related to the Health app, which can track how often the user engages in sexual intercourse, according to The Independent.
To turn the "Frequent Locations" feature off, the user would need to find the Privacy section in the Settings menu and open "Location Services," where the "Frequent Locations" is embedded in the "System Services." Users can also delete the stored locations by clicking the "Clear History" option.
