The revelation that Apple allegedly tracks users of the iPhone brought privacy issues to the fore again during 2011. It brought the tricky legal question of technology and privacy to a head once more and sparked a wide debate over how we are selling our privacy increasingly cheaply in return for technology.
The issue at hand was the assertion that Apple tracked and recorded everywhere an iPhone user went over the past year. That this information was kept in an insecure file on the phone and was transferred to any device synced with it.
Apple said the tracking was done anonymously to allow iPhone users to enjoy location-aware products and services, local search and to locate friends. While the intent seems rather benign, many users took offense to it.
According to Apple, the company was responding to the consumer demand for location services like directions, or finding local businesses. While we aren’t going to discuss Apple directly, we are going to discuss the technology they and other vendors use, specifically, location-based services. It’s important to note that it isn’t just Apple who use location-based services, they were the ones called out on it says Jacksonville Lawyer David Kerce.
A Price Worth Paying?
Location-based services aren’t the only way you can be tracked. Anyone who uses social media, the internet through an ISP, a web browser that keeps cookies and a computer will begin having information kept on them.
Most of it is necessary to provide the services we require. Those services include local search, repeat searches, site specific information such as usernames and so on. They are there to provide convenience, but there is a price to pay.
If we want to be constantly connected, to enjoy satellite navigation on our phones, or in our cars, we have to give up a little privacy. If we want to enjoy social media, engage with friends online and buy products over the internet we have to give up a little more. The trick is balancing it.
The Law Cannot Keep Pace with Technology
The Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) was enacted in 1986 to protect individual privacy. It is unlawful for an internet service provider to reveal information contained in electronic communications. The privacy of such communications is negated either if a user consents or if the government submits a valid subpoena to the ISP.
We saw the government race to include social media and Instant Messaging in SOX and SEC rules. We are seeing them race again to keep up with the world with SOPA, and it won’t stop there.
Privacy is most definitely the currency with which you pay for technology and the advantages it offers. However, the law struggles to keep up. The best protection against the erosion of your privacy is to be careful with your own information, not rely on legislation to protect you.
The question of personal privacy is going to be a question asked over the next decade or so. While government and the law will try to keep up, the constant innovation will soon leave it behind. In reality, it’s up to you to protect your own privacy and be fully aware of the ramifications of the devices and applications you use.