Earlier this week anybody with an ounce of concern for their privacy gurgled with unabated horror at the news that the iPhone might be sending its IMEI to Apple with every Weather and Stocks update.  At the time, we pointed out that packet-sniffing tests were still ongoing to ascertain exactly what the handset was transmitting; now the results are in, and thankfully (although disappointing if you're the sort of soothsayer that enjoys predicting privacy meltdown) it appears that the codes sent are identical among all iPhones.

That has led many to conclude that the IDs are merely application identifiers, although Uneasy Silence - who helped first break the story - are still teetering on the edge of paranoia:

"After 24 hours of being online it’s still not been totally determined that the information being exchanged between you and Apple is anonymous. It seems to now be application identifiers, not an IMEI. Now all we know is that information is being exchanged and we are not sure exactly what" Uneasy Silence

Still, the lasting result is that the privacy clauses in Apple's EULA have been thrown back into the spotlight.  That's not to say that it's only they who have such "we can monitor usage" sections in their agreements, but it's been interesting to see responses to the idea that they may actually be taking advantage of what you, the iPhone user, has signed up to.  Quite a few have expressed their 'surprise' that it was Apple supposedly flexing the boundaries of privacy rather than, say, soapbox-favourite Microsoft; at the end of the day, are we content to judge what's a "safe" privacy concession based on how "good" we perceive the company?