US senator questions Apple for using phone-tracking software

"The existence of this information -- stored in an unencrypted format -- raises serious privacy concerns," Senator Al Franken wrote in his letter to Jobs. "Anyone who gains access to this single file could likely determine the location of the user's home, the businesses he frequents, the doctors he visits, the schools his children attend, and the trips he has taken -- over the past months, or even a year," Franken said.

Franken’s letter comes a day after two research scientists – Alasdair Allan and Pete Warden – claimed that iPhone and iPads with iOS4 mobile operating system have been storing unencrypted and unprotected logs of users geographic coordinates in a hidden file.

The senator in his letter to Steve Jobs has asked him nine questions, including explanations of why the company was gathering the data, why the information was not encrypted, why Apple consumers were never explicitly informed of the data collection and to whom (including Apple) the data was disclosed. Meanwhile, American political journal Politico reported that the Federal Communications Commission was looking into the matter.

Meanwhile, another lawmaker Jay Inslee, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, has expressed concerned over the report. "I am deeply disturbed by this report," Inslee said, noting that the current law failed to ensure consumers were protected from privacy violations.