No One Cares Where You Are – Apple and Google are not Tracking You

There's been a lot of recent talk about Apple's, and now Google's ability to track iPad, iPhone and Android phone users' locations.

Two New York men have filed a lawsuit, accusing Apple of fraud, deceptive business practices, and are hoping they suit will be granted class-action status, according to Computer World.

It's the type of story that news outlets, big and small, tend to latch on to, and examine from every possible angle, ad nauseam.

Is this something that should worry you?  No.  Is it much ado about nothing?  In my opinion, absolutely.

Let's face it, when we install apps on our phones, (and PCs) we don't read the agreements.  We scroll to the bottom, click "yes" and move on.  Are our whereabouts actually being "tracked"?  Not really.  The information is being stored away in a file, so the software can afford us a much richer user experience. Tech expert Shelly Palmer had this to say in a recent blog post:

When you combine hyper-personal information with location, you get a wonderful opportunity to customize applications and user experiences. When you store this information and learn from it, you get an even better opportunity to improve the user experience and add value. This is the only goal of location-based apps and data-driven advertising.

Can the information be used in a malicious way? Yes. But it is really, really hard to do. And, it requires a very motivated malicious individual or organization to do it.

Can this information be used for good? Absolutely. And, it almost always is.

If you think Apple and Google are interested in tracking where exactly you are Big-Brother style, you're over thinking it.  Password protect your phone, and computer.  Nothing to see here, people, move on.