Smartphones are amazing things. They are changing the way we work, play and interact. But relying on them so much and always having them on us have some interesting flow-ons for privacy.
Did you know your iPhone records where you've been and how long you were there? pic.twitter.com/0N5m4AYxOA
— Lmfbs (@lmfbs) May 22, 2014
Yes, that’s right. Your smartphone tracks your every location, and groups them according to your frequent visits.
Mine knew I’d been to the doctor twice in the last month, it knew my home address and my two main workplace addresses.
This’ll be unsurprising for some of you, but even the privacy-conscious among us can be caught out by random settings buried in a little-used smartphone screen.
You can find this one on your iPhone by going to settings >> privacy >> location services >> system services >> frequent locations
And on Android: Settings >> Personal >> Location Settings >> Location and Google
Via a friend of mine, upon reading this: “Sometimes when my phone feels like being creepy it tells me how long it will take for me to drive home at night without even asking.”
Gawd.