Google, Apple Get Sued For Gathering Info

You use your cellphone to get directions, information, find your location, but how much of that information is being used to keep tabs on you.

Google and Apple are gathering location information as part of their race to build massive databases capable of pinpointing people's locations via their cellphones, and both are being sued for it.

"I think that it's an invasion of privacy and I don't like it. I think it probably causes a lot of junk mail and were all already getting a bunch of junk mail," said Terri Davis.

Google said it collects location information, including GPS current location, timestamps, nearby Wi-Fi network addresses and device IDs from Android devices, but said it was opt-in and not traceable to a specific individual. The four major U.S.cell phone carriers, AT&T, Verizon , Sprint and T-Mobile, told Congress that they don’t track that info unless they get their subscribers’ consent. Still, it's enough to have smartphone user, Paige Murray concerned.

"Right now they just do it without your permission, and I believe a lot of these companies sell your information to other companies, and I don't think that's right," said Murray.

That concern has prompted the Federal Trade Commission to launch a probe into the issue, and it has become such a hot-button topic that Verizon has begun to put warning label stickers on all mobile tablets and smartphones, alerting customers that the devices can track their locations.

It's all part of the race to build massive databases that can help them tap the $2.9 billion market for location-based services. By pinpointing a person's location, companies can pinpoint their advertising. Something Murray said is just a little too smart for a phone or search engine.