Well shit. This thread over on the Hackintosh website shows that Apple is apparently tracking iPhone users. The first user to flag this issue found this information within the Stocks.app binary file.
http://m.yahoo.com/apple/finance?pin…ier=uscingular
http://iphone-wu.apple.com/dgw?imei=%@&apptype=finance
ProductVersion
deployver=”Apple iPhone v%@”
app=”YGoiPhoneClient”
appver=”1.0.0.%@”
api=”finance”
apiver=”1.0.0″
acknotification=”0000″
Apple iPhone v%@
Stocks v1.0.0.%@
Other users quickly joined the fray and were able to verify the behaviour.
they know the IP address you were using, the stocks companies you are interested to, and so they can track down their customers all around the world.
This also proves that there are probably other apps that do the same.
Weather.app is also acting the same way. (Offset 13AE0)
Read on.
UPDATE: Heise says WTF!!! Und ve must learn you to be using ze packet sniffer!
Somit lässt sich ohne weitere Hintergrundinformationen keine Aussage darüber treffen, ob die übertragene ID personenbezogene Daten enthält. Überhaupt sind Spekulationen, Apple überwache gezielt das Interesse für spezielle Börsenkurse, sehr weit hergeholt. Wahrscheinlicher ist es da schon, dass Apple allgemeinere Nutzungstatistiken führt und die Brisanz der Kombination einer möglicherweise auf Personen zurückführbaren ID und dem Interesse für bestimmte Börsenkurse unterschätzt hat.
Heise in German and Google doth Translate
UPDATE2: Wow – the blogosphere+/. crowds are having a cow with this.
Here’s a better link: Heise in English
[tags]Apple iPhone, iPhone Tracking, iPhone Surveillance, iPhone IMEI Tracking[/tags]