BEIJING — China’s influential state broadcaster called a location-tracking function of Apple Inc.’s iPhone a “national security concern” on Friday, in the latest backlash against U.S. technology firms.

In its national noon broadcast, state-run China Central Television criticized the “frequent locations” function in Apple’s AAPL, -3.17% iO7 mobile operating system, which tracks and records the time and location of the owner’s movements. The report quoted researchers who said that those with access to those data points could gain knowledge of the broader situation in China or “even state secrets.”