• September 5, 2011

Responding to a recent privacy lawsuit, Microsoft said late last week that it doesn't track the locations of Windows Phone users through their camera apps.

"Because we do not store unique identifiers with any data transmitted to our location service database by the Windows Phone camera or any other application, the data captured and stored on our location database cannot be correlated to a specific device or user," a spokesperson stated. "Any transmission of location data by the Windows Phone camera would not enable Microsoft to identify an individual or 'track' his or her movements."

The company added that it was investigating the claims raised in the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Seattle on Wednesday by Rebecca Cousineau. Her complaint alleges that the camera phone app on Windows 7 phones sends location information to Microsoft even after users people check a box marked "cancel" in response to a question about whether they wish to share location information. (The only two choices are "allow" or "cancel.")

Cousineau says in her lawsuit that Microsoft violated the federal wiretap law, as well as a Washington consumer protection law. --Wendy Davis