iPhoneTracker

Open source app by Alasdair Allan and Pete Warden that reads a file stored on iOS 4 devices which contains a history of location data for the device. It’s not GPS data — it’s location data triangulated by cell towers. It’s a Mac app that reads the file from your backups stored by iTunes (presuming you’re not using iTunes’s option to encrypt these backups). I ran it, and it pegged everywhere I remember going for the past 6 months or so.

Their FAQ explains how it works in detail, and, unlike much of the coverage of their tool, they don’t sensationalize the implications. Good work.

★ Wednesday, 20 April 2011