Technology is a wonderful thing. In the right hands, technology can create limitless possibilities for the good of mankind. It seems lately, the development of technological devices has run farther ahead, than most of us can keep up with. However, the recent news of Apple and Android collecting data location information on mobile users brought it all to a momentary screeching halt.
Face it, we all love our gadgets. Even if we can’t figure out how to make our new phones work right; technology has improved all our lives, to some degree. The first few years of the internet had us all on our toes. Something about it, we just didn’t want to trust.
As the years went by, we came to rely on the internet, and later the mobile phones. We relaxed our suspicions and took advantage of all the perks technology could give us. Then it came out that Apple devices and Android devices have been collecting location data on users, and storing it away for many months.
In fairness to Apple, when iPad and iPhone users install iTunes, it tells in the agreement, they may collect data, and the users agree to it. On the Android devices, the location services can be disabled. However, you would have to disable all location services.
While there was no evidence that Apple was doing this for malicious reasons, it was clearly being done (and stored) intentionally. Apple executives tried to give an explanation in a press release Wednesday, stating that the data is only so the phone can figure out where it is without having to use the GPS.
The spokesperson also stated the data was only supposed to record the location of mobile towers and Wi-Fi hotspots, not actual user locations. It was a software error that caused the data to be kept for so long. They are working on a fix for the software glitch.
Now the question of disclosure must be answered, and defined. Now the time has come to decide, is our privacy worth the trade off of utility and convenience?
