Third-party iPhone apps can freely transmit UDID

Apple claims that it is impossible to track a particular iPhone in real time, as its transactions are anonymous and thoroughly randomized. However, Bucknell University network admin Eric Smith suggests that third-party application developers and advertisers may link your device to your name (and even your location) whenever they transmit data. Smith studied 57 top applications in the iTunes App Store to see what they sent out, and discovered that some fired off the iPhone's UDID and personal details in plaintext, including those for Amazon, Chase Bank, Target and Sam's Club, though a few were secured with SSL. Though UDIDs are routinely used by apps to store personal data, what Smith fears is that a database could be set up linking these UDIDs to GPS coordinates or GeoIP, giving nefarious individuals or organizations knowledge of where you are.