You might feel a bit envious of a Korean gentleman named Kim Hyung-suk who recently took Apple to court in Korea over the use of unauthorized location tracking on the Apple iPhone. Hyung-suk said that Apple collected data from him without his consent. In May, the Cupertino based firm was ordered by a Korean Court to pay what sounds like the princely sum of 1 million won. Apple's Korean unit paid the judgment without putting up a fight, which might sound surprising until you consider the fact that 1 million won equals just $946 USD. Still, it was the first time that Apple had made a payment over complaints about unauthorized data tracking.
As we reported back in May, Apple announced that the iOS 4.3.3 update made some changes to software on the iPhone that had collected personal and location information and stored it for up to a year. At the same time, Apple admitted that for certain features on the handset to work, it needs to collect data, but only for 7 days.
Apple could still be on the hook in the States as the U.S. class action suit winds its way through the matrix that we call the U.S. legal system. And unlike Korea, where a million won verdict is paid off with a check and a smile, U.S. courts are notoriously unpredictable when it comes to a case like this.
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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