Windows Phone 7.5 stops sending location without consent
updated 10:05 pm EDT, Tue September 27, 2011
Windows Phone Mango fixes location controls
An investigation into Windows Phone 7.5's code by ChevonWP7 jailbreaker Rafael Rivera has revealed that the update no longer sends location info without permission. The finished version hitting phones now behaves as Microsoft originally testified it did to Congress, where it asks first before the camera or another app is allowed to get the position. It had asked for permission before, but only after sending some location information first.
Rivera added later that Microsoft had officially filed the bug report on August 31, just over a month after 7.5 (then known just as Mango) was finished and sent to manufacturers. Given that the issue was solved by the just-shipping release, it suggests either that the company had unintentionally fixed the bug and discovered this later or that it was aware and didn't report it properly until it wasn't likely to be an issue.
The fix should head off potential government investigations over current issues. It could still create problems for Microsoft if Congress or other officials believe Microsoft wasn't being forthright with its location practices with the original and NoDo releases of Windows Phone 7.
