In addition to changes made to its privacy policy relating to its upcoming iAd mobile advertising platform, Apple also added a section notifying users that it may collect and share users’ location data, according to a LA Times report.
The passage in question reads, “To provide location-based services on Apple products, Apple and our partners and licensees may collect, use, and share precise location data, including the real-time geographic location of your Apple computer or device.
This location data is collected anonymously in a form that does not personally identify you and is used by Apple and our partners and licensees to provide and improve location-based products and services.” The passage also notes that “[s]ome location-based services offered by Apple, such as the MobileMe “Find My iPhone” feature, require your personal information for the feature to work.” Apple notably added a new Location Services menu to iOS 4 giving users more fine-grained control over their sharing of location data with applications.