EXCLUSIVE: Apple Secretly Tracking iPhone IMEI and Usage (with proof)
This post was published 1 year 11 months 20 days ago and its content may not be valid anymore.
As I sit here applying a new layer of Reynolds tin foil to my international hat of conspiracy, its been proven that Apple tracks iPhone usage and tracks IEMI numbers of all their iPhones worldwide. Hidden in the code of the “Stocks” and “Weather” widgets is a string that sends the IMEI of your phone to a specialized URL that Apple collects.
When the widgets perform a query an IMEI is handed off to Apple’s servers:
dgw?imei=%@&apptype=finance
This let[s] Apple knows which app you are using when connecting with your iPhone. Obviously, they know the IP address you were using, the stocks companies you are interested [in], and so they can track down their customers all around the world. This also proves that there are probably other apps that do the same. Weather.app is also acting the same way. (Offset 13AE0)
Any attempts to modify the URL to exclude the IMEI information will not allow you to retrieve any information in the “Stocks” and “Weather” apps. It is still unknown if any other applications leak information to Apple HQ.
And did you know you actually consented to this gross invasion of privacy?
When you interact with Apple, we may collect personal information relevant to the situation, such as your name, mailing address, phone number, email address, and contact preferences; your credit card information and information about the Apple products you own, such as their serial numbers and date of purchase; and information relating to a support or service issue.
Obviously “Weather” is kinda benign, but Apple knowing your Stock habits, isn’t that a little personal? What’s next, they read your email too? Now who thinks I’m crazy?
UPDATE: After 24 hours of being online it’s still not been totally determined that the information being exchanged between you and Apple is anonymous. It seems to now be application identifiers, not an IMEI. Now all we know is that information is being exchanged and we are not sure exactly what.
“Now all we know is that information is being exchanged and we are not sure exactly what.”
Wow, way to go champion! So, information is being exchanged between Apple servers and Safari on iphones? You big meanies Apple boys. Guess what? I just found that when i performed a research on Google, my browser actually sent information to Google servers : http://www.google.com/search?q=dumb
OMGZ!! I have the feeling that the web just… exchanges info between servers and browsers… That’s creepy by design!!
Well I don’t know where uneasysilence is located, but in most countries, what this article is doing is called slandering, and it is not quite legal. You can’t go and hit a company’s reputation based on variable names found in the query part of a URL. This article is a whole piece of garbage. I hope you’re enjoying the major traffic bump it led to, though.
When people agreed to the data collection, they agreed to something general, as Apple did not expressly indicate (advised by their lawyers) EXACTLY what they’re gonna collect. Legal trap.
How many of you own a store card? Now that’s big brother, not apple.
You know, my bank owns me and knows where I shop and how much I spend. They got me to sign a waiver to my rights over that information when I opened the account. They’ve broadened the scope of that with every change and merger. I could refuse, but I have to have a bank account, because where I live it is a legal requirement that I get paid by direct credit or by cheque, either way I need a bank to get my pay. My phone provider knows everybody I call or text. Kodak know as much about my family as I do. It’s one thing to collect all that data, but to make sense of 6 billion people making 6 billion transactions every second? Well computers will be able to do that one day, I guess. Meanwhile, just keep your head down and they won’t notice you. You don’t even have to go ex-directory, stop banking, have no iPhone, avoid all risks head down, just obey the law, be nice to people you like and avoid people you don’t like head down.
F*** THAT, I’m going to pay money to my phone company so they can “monitor” what I do? He’ll no!! Why are so many people ok with this? So sad to see we have accepted the fact that other people can know our personal business , and are so used to it , they think it’s normal and just accept it. Wake up and reprogram your brain!!!! What I do in my home on my phone or PC, that I paid for, is my business and It should be PRIVATE!!!! Does anyone agree or disagree?
What I do in my home on my phone or PC, that I paid for, is my business and It should be PRIVATE!!!! Does anyone agree or disagree?
I agree.
However it seems Big Brother and the industry who is working closely with them disagree with our rights as human beings.
Anyone who wants to control what goes out of their computer or phone doesn’t use a iPhone or a EFI based Mac.
For the record, Apple doesn’t know about Safari browsing done on an iPhone. I verified this with a packet sniffer. It seems that only the built-in apps (stocks, weather, etc.) communicate with an Apple server (wu.apple.com) on port 80.
Regarding the string called “imei”, sent via POST. It is not sending the 16-digit decimal IMEI number, at least not in the clear. It appears to be sending 16 bytes of hex. Maybe it’s an encrypted IMEI, but it’s hard to know.
To me, it’s interesting from an application standpoint to see how these apps work. The tin foil conspiracy angle is oh so silly.
Apple’s chock fulla little wormy bits that invade your privacy in addition to trying to control what you do, i.e. attempting to prevent media “sharing” etc. Apple is the shiny big brother we’ve all been dreading and the worst part is they make you want it anyway. Damn them!
It’s understandable that concern exists about what is done with ‘gleaned’ data that potentially identifies individual users. That information is being harvested for some purpose. I would figure, that’s the intent behind the name, “Knowledge Ventures.”
I think the fear is of arbitrary actions taken in individual cases and determinations that could introduce prejudice to privately undertaken projects.
I had an iphone, unlocked with installer.app, and apple sent some bricking command to it at some point in time. no other details. trust me on this
Time to setup a cron that pings that URL until they get sick of you and block your IP!
How many of you own a store card? Now that’s big brother, not apple.
what a shame i thought only microsoft is acting like this. is this legal? i don`t think that this is legal in the EU for example.
Hello im new here hey can anyone tell me how to track my mobile using imei please tell me?
Thank`s
I would like to trace the imei no of cell phone no 00923003476173 persons name ayesha khawar in karachi Pakistan
my apple iphone has lost in taxi soplzzzzzzzzzzzzz try for tracing of iphone plzzzzzzz give ur msg to service centre u want our imei plz contact us -9323129992/9930179135 ok
@handy
apple will care about privacy in the future. Microsoft did that mistake a few years ago. So they are on level 2, while apple is still on level 1.
I think we have a new Big Brother here
Just letting know where who and what is doing
I think a blackberry is better than a iphone!