http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/mobile/04/21/iphone.tracker.explainer/index.html?hpt=C1

News that iPhones and iPad 3Gs apparently collect continuous information about the whereabouts of their users and store that data in a secret file has lots of Apple fans worried about their privacy.
Wired.com's John Abell tells Suzanne Malveaux that iPhones track your location, and there's not a whole lot you can do.
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2011/04/21/exp.nr.abell.iphones.track.you.cnn?hpt=C1

Will have to buy iphone so that some body keeps track of me !

I've refused to buy an iPhone or iPad or iPod for years. No sweat off my brow.

As for my old Verizon LG phone, I leave it turned off when I don't want NCIS and the FBI to track me.

Guess where I am?

Sent from my iPhone.

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_z36

I haven't a clue. But perhaps someone else might know.

I think they are fine phones with great bells and whistles, etc. I simply don't need one. Now I might get a Nook one day.

Now I might get a Nook one day.

I can remember years ago when I used to get a little nookie, I liked it.Ah younger days

Lou- I remember when you used to post here more often... I miss your dirty old man comments. Always good to see ya around.

Cell phones can track you to. Every word you say, every breath you take I'm a watching you. Radio wave= bad news.

Dave101

"The only goddamn thing you know about the law is how to break it." Chief Lafleche

Most Cell phones can only recognize your general location. The reason is that the phone sends out a frequent locater signal so the network knows which cell towers to activate when you have an incoming call. That is the only way the cell system can work, if they had to send your incoming call to every cell tower in the US the system would be swamped at all times and no one could receive calls.

The apple situation is very different, it records GPS coordinates on you all the time. I expect there will be an ugly investigation to find out why. This is surely an invasion of privacy.

Shelly

The article says they're using cell tower location not GPS. What I'm reading as the real difference is that a file with that unencrypted location data is being stored on the phone, then on your computer if you sync it. I've seen different stories saying that the data points are stored pretty randomly, from several minutes, to hours, to as much as two weeks. There's more information to come out about this but for now to me it's just noise, my cat does better.

The location feature can be toggled on and off with an iPhone. But is it really off? Only Apple knows. It is on by default. Shouldn't be, but it is.

With the feature enabled, a location is embedded into every picture taken. You take a picture of something inside your house and post it online, anybody can see inside your house and know where your house is located. Not good,IMO.

Nightly Reader

Latest info (found and verified) is it still records when feature is off.