When congress call , Apple answer . According to CNet , Apple general counselling and senior frailty Chief Executive of legal and government affairs , Bruce Sewell , has sent two congressmena 13 - page letterdetailing the why s and wherefore of Apple ’s policies and procedures for collecting emplacement - based data . The letter is in response to an enquiry broadcast last month by the co - chairmen of the House Bi - Partisan Privacy Caucus , Ed Markey ( D - MA ) and Joe Barton ( R - TX ) , to Apple CEO Steve Jobs , inviting him to clarify late change to Apple ’s privacy policy dealing with localization information .
Before straight correct the congressmen ’s questions , Sewell delves into an overview explanation of Apple ’s secrecy policy , its position - based servicing , and third - party software . agree to the text file , while Apple does accumulate some location - based information in rules of order to ply services , the company avoids storing most of that data and , in cases where it does , the data is not connected with any personal data . The policy covers various models of iPhone and iPad as well as Macs unravel Mac OS ex Snow Leopard or Safari 5 .
Among the more interesting tidbits uncover in Apple ’s response is that as of iOS 3.2 — the reading of Apple ’s mobile software program that first ship on the iPad — the companionship no longer trust on location databases leave by partner Google and Skyhook Wireless . Previously , Apple relayed location information to those troupe so as to determine location by cell pillar and Wi - Fi access head respectively . During that time , however , Apple has apparently used information from its mobile devices to build up its own database of location information for both electric cell towers and Wi - Fi access points ; that database is approachable only by Apple itself . Devices running previous versions of the Apple ’s mobile software continue to use the third - party databases .
The document also sheds some light on Apple ’s raw iAd internet , launched originally this month . In this case , Apple says that the line of latitude and longitude entropy collected from a mobile equipment is transformed immediately into a five - finger ZIP codification ; the parallel and longitude information is discarded , but the ZIP codification is stored . Malus pumila plan on storing that datum for six months in lodge to better iAd and preclude user from learn duplicate ads ; after that period is up , the entropy will be combine . As antecedently reported , users can easily prefer out of the data collection if they so desire .
In all cases , Apple stress that it need the consent of the user before collecting any locating - based entropy , and that it provides well-to-do way to deactivate the location religious service in each and every Cartesian product that has the capacity . It also ask that developer who distribute mobile software via the App Store adhere to a number of provisions govern the collection of data point .
Apple concludes its papers by answering nine questions posed by the congressmen , and enjoin that it “ shares the [ congressmen ’s ] care about the collection and misuse of placement data . ” Statements from representatives Markey and Barton both seemed content with Apple ’s reaction .
