Not really. The phone companies have relevant data too for this kind of search. What's notable here isn't that Google was a single source for this data, but that they notified the user when it happened, even if it means everyone on HN now thinks they're the bad guys in the situation.
You don't know that GPS was required, nor whether or not cell records were subpoenaed as part of this investigation. All we have is what Google told the guy in the story.
And as far as Apple, I don't think that's true. Apple has a location history feature just like Google does. If that data ever reaches their machines in a non-anonymized way, then it's subject to subpoena just like anyone else's data is. Do you have a cite that explains why this is impossible?
>You don't know that GPS was required, nor whether or not cell records were subpoenaed as part of this investigation. All we have is what Google told the guy in the story.
I do know that because cell tower triangulation is on average only precise within about a square mile, which is considered far too broad for these types of searches.
>Apple has a location history feature just like Google does. If that data ever reaches their machines in a non-anonymized way, then it's subject to subpoena just like anyone else's data is. Do you have a cite that explains why this is impossible?
Location history on ios is stored locally, not logged and stored by Apple. Any data that is passed to Apple is anonymized. Per Apple:
"Where you go says a lot about you. Maps delivers a great experience without Apple knowing which stores, neighborhoods, or clinics you visit. And because Maps doesn’t include a sign-in, where you go isn’t associated with your Apple ID at all. Personalized features, like locating your parked car, are created right on your device. Data used to improve navigation, such as routes and search terms, is not associated with your identity. Instead, that information is based on random identifiers that are constantly changing."
AND
"If Location Services is on, your iPhone will periodically send the geo-tagged locations of nearby Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers (where supported by a device) in an anonymous and encrypted form to Apple, to be used for augmenting this crowd-sourced database of Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower locations."
