So… According to two researchers who tested only their own phones and didn’t perform any analysis of the data besides plotting all of the lat/longs in an attempt to validate their conclusions, there is a giant conspiracy on Apple’s part to track you for potentially nefarious purposes?

Sure…

As an aside, I’ve been in the information security space for well over 10 years, and while I do not normally publish my findings, they have been published, as a decent Google search would uncover. I’m far from an amateur. But hey – thanks for taking the time to assume that I was!

Sure….

2. I was referring to “sneaky” attempts to extract the data without your knowledge by Apple (or whomever), as the articles all seem to be implying that Apple is doing something nefarious. However, on the subject of Law Enforcement, they could also grab Google Maps history (or that of any GPS app you have), results from Yelp or other location-aware apps, etc. If I were to perform a through forensic analysis of your iPhone, I’m sure I could paint a reasonable picture of your activities even if the consolidated.db file didn’t exist.

3. I disagree. While I admittedly do not know what the data is actually used for, I’m not sure that Apple (or any manufacturer) needs to explain every last part of a product’s operation (especially technical aspects) to all of its customers on the basis that they someone might object. Quite frankly, I’m willing to bet that lots of heads in Cupertino are shaking in disbelief that this whole thing is even being treated as an issue by anyone, let alone making the rounds of the media as some dire threat to your privacy.

True, but you have the option of encrypted backups.

For every software to access, also accidental viruses, spyware, adware, etc.