Well, it's like every paranoiac warned us, we are being tracked unawares, especially if you own an iPhone or an iPad.Two British researchers have uncovered a hidden feature in iPhones and iPads that surreptitiously records its owner's location. Such location data is available from every phone, of course. By using cell tower coordinates, triangulation and time one can geolocate anyone who makes or receives a call.Smart phones use this information to provide something similar to GPS, which uses space satellites rather than cellphone towers. In some cases, location by cell tower triangulation is more accurate than GPS since it can be used near buildings which might block the satellite signals and even inside them. Location is possible anywhere you can receive a call.But this revelation by Apple is a warning that we may be carrying around a lot more in our gadgets that companies let us know. The tracking was unveiled by two British researchers at the Where 2.0 conference in Santa Clara, California. The two, Alasdair Allan and Pete Warden, also released free software to let users see what information their iPhones are collecting (load it up at http://petewarden.github.com/iPhoneTracker).The open-source application maps the information that your iPhone is recording about your movements. It doesn't record anything itself, it only displays files that are already hidden in the phone.It extracts the information when you sync your iPhone or iPad (with a cellular plan) with your home computer. The software scans through the backup files that are automatically made, looking for the hidden file containing your location. If it finds the file, the location history will be displayed on a map. Scary.Allan and Warden say the location data cannot be removed. User should encrypt all their backups, since that will prevent other users or programs from viewing the data. They also cannot explain why Apple put the feature in its phones.“It's unclear,” they say on the site. “One guess might be that they have new features in mind that require a history of your location, but that's pure speculation. The fact that it's transferred across devices when you restore or migrate is evidence the data-gathering isn't accidental.”You can also access the information without using the software. The site has a guide on how to see what is in your iPhone or iPad backup files.Other than the embarrassment to Apple, I wonder that law makers will now examine this trend carefully and stop it. New reports are coming out that some phones running Google's Android OS may also store location information and, worse, transmit the data to Google a few times an hour.Certainly the revelation about Apple has caught the notice of EU lawmakers, who are sure to ban it unless Apple has a way for buyers to turn the feature off. I expect and hope Apple will get a big fine, followed by an even bigger one for Google, if the Android claim is true.I should have a right to know if my cell phone is sending my location to the company that sold it to me in the first place. Isn't that the true meaning of “Trojan Horse”? I've got a potential enemy hidden in my pocket.***Someone at T-Mobile's advertising agency tracks the Internet “buzz” for ideas, as can be seen in the company's controversial spoof video of the upcoming Royal wedding. T-Mobile's video of Royal look-alike actors dancing their way into Westminster to celebrate the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton has already racked up about 11 million views on YouTube and counting.But it still has some way to go before beating its inspiration, a home made video of a commoner's wedding that went viral and now has 65 million views. Do a search for “JK Wedding Entrance Dance” and T-Mobile's “Wedding Dance” and you will see what I mean.Most of the controversy over the video stems not from its depiction of the Royals letting it all hang loose, but from the Bishop of London, who is apparently not so pleased that one of his priests allowed London's St. Bartholomew the Great to be used as a stand in for Westminster Abbey.The cellphone company can only pray that the dispute continues to drive viewers to its viral video, getting more advertising for its buck. Marketers everywhere should all be scouring YouTube for great ideas.Send comments to elamin.ahmed@mail.com