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In late January, Apple quietly rolled out an iPhone update that gave some users a privacy boost. One new feature stops cell carriers from collecting certain kinds of location information and sharing it with police or advertisers. With the feature turned on, cell providers will likely only be able to gather a general location, like the neighborhood the phone is in, Apple said.

While the update might be good news for those concerned about advertisers accessing their location, it won’t prevent police from getting relatively precise coordinates from cellphone providers. For years cops have been able to order the likes of AT&T and T-Mobile to provide what’s known as “E911” information. That’s the same location data that the carriers give to emergency responders, except cops can order it for non-emergency situations, typically with a search warrant. The data can be........

© Forbes