So What Is Really Stored In Your iPhone?

The saga continues to be played out in the courts and the media.  Should Apple be forced to write new software allowing Federal investigators to retrieve information thought to be contained in the iPhone5 used by Syed Farook, one of the terrorists responsible for the recent San Bernardino attack?   Strident and cogent arguments have been made from both sides of the argument and soon the courts will have the final say.  After following this story you may be more than curious to know what specific information might be contained in your iPhone or other smartphone model.

To begin to get a clearer picture of the contents of your phone it might be good to note that your smartphone is much more than a device for making calls or texting.  The computing power and storage capacity of a standard iPhone6 has exponentially more computing power than the Cray super computers of the last century and could guide a million Apollo lunar missions simultaneously.  The phone’s internal storage can handle billions of bits of information and the screen can display graphics better than the best flat panel TV. 

For many of us, the smartphone has become indispensable for managing our professional and social lives. That being so, we keep a great deal of information in the phone which was once relegated only to our wallet, a bank safety deposit box or that shoe box in the hallway closet.  Since we know we have stored contacts and addresses, passwords and bank account information, and pictures of our kids, we have a good idea of what we are carrying around in our pocket or purse and, heaven forbid, what we have lost if the phone comes up missing.  Or do we really know?

Over and above what we actually choose to save in our phone, the software in the phone retains an extraordinary amount of information automatically without our knowledge but with our permission. Most of us automatically click “Accept” when faced with the License Agreements on our devices without actually reading what we just accepted.

If you were able to peer into the innards of your phone you would find a trove of some very personal information.  Each picture has a time, date and location stamp.  Depending on the size of your storage, a record of every keystroke and other phone usage is retained for months perhaps as much as year.  This includes bank account information, passwords, personal communication, text messages, music or podcasts listened to and even locations visited.  Once accessed, a map and chronology of your entire life could be reconstructed.  For most of us that story might be very boring, for others, not so much.

For sure the digital revolution has been a boon to our economy, has enhanced our education and knowledge, and opened up wonderful entertainment options. It also has given us some very serious and important social and political issues to deal with.

I will be on WVXU’s Cincinnati Edition at 1:30pm Wednesday, March 23^rd. You can call in with any technology questions or comments.  WVXU is 91.7 FM.  Hope to hear from you.  If we get enough calls I may be asked back.