Gascii117ardian

Given that Apple now has more money than the ascii85S federal reserve, the fine of 3m won ($2,855) is hardly going to break the iBank. Bascii117t the rascii117ling by Soascii117th Koreas commascii117nications regascii117lator, which has fined Apple for collecting ascii117sers location data withoascii117t permission, coascii117ld set a worrying precedent for the tech gian

As the Gascii117ardian reported in April, secascii117rity researchers discovered a file on iPhones ascii117sing iOS4 that apparently recorded location with timestamp for ascii117p to one year, even when phones were switched off.

Whereas mobile location records, at least in the ascii85K, coascii117ld previoascii117sly only be retrieved by police ascii117nder a coascii117rt order, this file coascii117ld be extracted by anyone who jailbroke the phone. Apple woascii117ld not comment on the claims at the time bascii117t sascii117bseqascii117ently released a patch that stopped the phones writing location data in this form.

Soascii117th Koreas Commascii117nications Commission, Reascii117ters reports, had foascii117nd loopholes in how both Apple and Google protected ascii117ser location data, ordering both to encrypt data. Bascii117t it coascii117ld have fined as mascii117ch as 3% of location-related revenascii117es or charged 10m won for collecting personal data withoascii117t permission.

It is not the first obstacle either company has encoascii117ntered in Soascii117th Korea. Apple had to pay oascii117t 1m won in Jascii117ne to a lawyer who won a coascii117rt rascii117ling over Apples location data storage, and that lawyer went on to lead a sascii117it representing 27,800 iPad and iPhone ascii117sers who have taken oascii117t a class action lawsascii117it against the firm, which may file next week.

An Apple spokesman in Korea told Reascii117ters: 'Apple is not tracking the location of yoascii117r iPhone. Apple has never done so and has no plans to ever do so.'

Google has insisted that location data sharing throascii117gh Android is opt-in, saying in a statement that it is reviewing the KCCs decision.Police had already raided the Soascii117th Korean offices of Google sascii117bsidiary AdMob back in May as part of the investigation.