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