Apple respectfully denies Chinese claims that iPhones are a security threat
In a carefully and respectfully worded post on Apple’s Chinese website the company denied claims made on Chinese television that iPhones were a concern to national security.
The post stated that Apple ‘appreciates’ the television station’s raising the issue of its location-based features since it gave Apple the opportunity to clarify its policies. According to Apple the techniques they use are simply intended to reduce the time the iPhones take to triangulate a users' location via GPS by incorporating WiFi and cell tower data from secure databases, while restricting the transmission of identifying device information in the process.
In the post Apple stated, "Apple gives customers control over collection and use of location data on all our devices. Customers have to make the choice to enable Location Services, it is not a default setting. Apple does not allow any app to receive device location information without first receiving the user's explicit consent through a simple pop-up alert. This alert is mandatory and cannot be overridden."
