Originally Posted By: DWallach
At this point, Apple will still be called to task by the U.S. government as well as several other governments. In the end, I expect they will be required to have some sort of opt-in/opt-out switch on whether any of this data, anonymized or not, is sent back to the mothership. I expect similar requirements for other phone vendors.

I see this as fair, and the process will help educate people a bit more about the issues modern phones raise. And I do think companies, including Apple, need to ensure proper reviews occur with any systems associated with handling location data. This is very similar to the privacy outcry over Buzz, with lots of misinformation, some real information, and good long term changes to ensure a slip-up doesn't occur again.

The iPhone does have an opt-out switch already, (the Location Services setting on the front page of Settings) and I could see this flipping to opt-in at the system level, similar to how all apps face an opt-in by default.