Esme's Blog: iPhone, iSpy
My iPhone is a dazzling bit of technology, the ultimate Mom/Work accessory. Able to take photos of my kids and breaking news with a fell swoop, at every turn loaded with a new game by the minors in the house -- how many versions of angry birds are there anyway? I can read PDF documents, the latest court documents, the latest anything our fabulous assignment editors throw my way.
But word that the iPhone is tracking me, that Apple is storing data on my comings and goings is not welcome news. Granted the tracking report on me is decidedly unglamorous. How about that 8:45 p.m. run last night to the local convenience store for white distilled vinegar for Easter eggs? How about that mad dash today from the soccer fields in Edina, to baseball in North St. Paul, to the WCCO-AM studios, to my basement to get Easter baskets ready, to the late night computer session scouring headlines for WCCO-TV Sunday morning?
Tracking my life would be an example of motherhood in over drive, something any parent could relate too, but would certainly not want to share. But all of us live lives that can turn, a stalker, a relationship turned bad, a loved one who falls victim to difficult circumstances.
Sen. Al Franken is the Chair of the new Senate Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law. He has sent a letter to Apple CEO Steve Jobs demanding answers on what the company is doing with the data it is collecting on millions of men, women and children. We all deserve answers and more importantly restrictions and regulation of a technology that may be dazzling, but presents a real threat to all of us.
