Why Apple is tracking you

Researchers unveiled that Apple's iPhone was actively logging the whereabouts of its users, but its not just Apple's phone that's tracking you.

Apple's iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, the iPhone 4, and iPad models are also keeping track of consumers whereabouts. Mac computers running Snow Leopard and even Windows computers running Safari 5 are being watched.

Though the company has remained silent after Wednesday's revelations, the reason that Apple is tracking consumers simply relates to a legal statement they made on the matter nearly a year ago: advertising.

To provide the high quality products and services that its customers demand, Apple must have access to the comprehensive location-based information, Apple general counsel Bruce Sewall wrote to Congress in June 2010.

The letter was in response to Congressmen Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., and Joe Barton, R-Texas pressing on Apple CEO Steve Jobs inquiring about Apple's privacy policy and location-based services

In response, Sewall explained the company's views.

After emphasizing Apple's commitment to users' privacy, Sewall said that to provide these location-based services, Apple, its partners and licensees, may collect, use and share customers' precise location data, including GPS information, nearby cell towers and neighboring Wi-Fi networks.

Sewall also said that it was within Apple's right to send this information back to Apple.

By using any location-based services on your iPhone, you agree and consent to Apple's and its partners' and licensees' transmission, collection, maintenance, processing and use of your location data to provide such products and services, Sewall's letter reads, citing Apple's End User Agreement.

It is not clear if the data found by security researchers this Wednesday is being sent back to Apple.

If it were, Sewall stated that the information is collected anonymously and the devices give users controls for disabling the location features.

In addition to giving Apple customers the ability to turn off all location features with one on/off toggle switch, Apple requires applications to get explicit customer when it asks for location information for the first time.

Apple also stores the location information in a database only accessibly to Apple, the letter says.

But though Apple says that its location data practices support the services its customers want, analysts and activists say the practice still raises serious questions.