iPhones tracking people’s movements

British researchers have reportedly discovered a file which proves Apple’s iPhones have been secretly tracking everywhere users go for up to a year.

According to a report in the Guardian, Pete Warden and Alasdair Allan say the recording of the data seems to have started with Apple’s iOS4 update to the phone’s operating system, released last year in June. The report says the phones save every detail of a user’s movements to a secret file on the device which is then copied to the owner’s computer when the two are synchronised.

“Apple has made it possible for almost anybody – a jealous spouse, a private detective – with access to your phone or computer to get detailed information about where you’ve been,” Warden is quoted saying.

Apple declined to comment to the newspaper on why the file was created, or how it can be disabled.

The terms and conditions for iTunes state that Apple, its partners and licences may “collect, use and share precise location data, including the real-time geographic location” of the Apple computer or device.