Retrievable iPhone Numbers Raise Privacy Issue

TechnologyResource writes "When a couple of voicemails didn't show up recently, I thought nothing of it until a friend asked me if I'd gotten his message — people just don't call me that often. But the iPhone is indeed a phone, as some users are reportedly being reminded when they get phone calls from the publishers of a free app they've downloaded from the App Store. The application in question, mogoRoad, is a real-time traffic monitoring application. As invasive and despicable as that sounds, it raises another question: how did the company get hold of the contact information for those users? Mogo claims the details were provided by Apple, but Apple doesn't disclose that information to App Store vendors. French site Mac 4 Ever did some digging (scroll down for the English version) and determined it was possible — even easy — for an app to retrieve the phone number of a unit on which it was installed."

Comments

So

[sopssa]

as some users are reportedly being reminded when they get phone calls from the publishers of a free app they've downloaded from the App Store.

This was an interesting bit that wasn't explained anywhere in the article. What kind of phone calls they get? Asking for user feedback of the app, marketing other products (maybe on other platforms)? Late night drunk calls?

But for that matter, I've always though that phone apps have access to your number anyway. It just makes sense, same way that PC apps have access to your IP address and other personal data saved on the machine.

Not that it's that bad anyway. Many kind of software need better access to the information to function to function. Answering machine software needs access to the phone book to show who called, or to make custom rules.

I dont think that the issue is really that the phone number and other data are available, but more on abusing said info. With Apple's really closed approach and the app store, it would probably be a good idea to send info about the abuse to Apple directly. Technically the apps require access to information to function.

As a side note, most of us probably think that "real-time traffic monitoring application" refers to internet traffic. I looked it up and it's actually about road traffic, not about internet stuff :)

Re:What?

[sopssa]

That same data is available on every other platform too (Symbian and Windows Mobile I can confirm, but most likely on Android and Palm too)

Re:You Think That's Bad?

[fermion]

On my iphone, anytime an app wants to use my location I get a request to allow it to so do. If any app that uses the location service I know that it is happening. This is in fact what apple is supposed to be protecting us for in exchange for us agreeing that the iTunes App store is a good idea. Developers have to obey certain rules, and the user has some protection against mal ware.

So if this is happening, then it is a failure on Apples part. We do expect data on our phones to be private, and for Apple to protect that privacy.

Of course, one wonders if the phone number is private. If we make a call, that phone number is transmitted to the person we are calling. If we install an app on the iPhone, while all items on the phone we can expect to be private, I think a case can be made for and against the phone number. Of course, if there was no reason for the app to need the phone number, I would expect apple to vet for such code used to get the phone number. In this case, I can't see why they would need the number, but I don't see how it is despicable. I guess some people are just so frugal and introverted that any use of their time or minutes results in a temper tantrum, like some arrogant teenager when the unwashed have the audacity to talk to them.

Re:Where's the mainstream media?

[plastick]

Awesome post!

Re:Other phones allow this

[UnknowingFool]

There isn't a single other phone allowing this. On Symbian, you can't simply make your app "call" a number or send a sms without user getting a huge warning on screen.

That's not my interpretation of the situation. The iPhone isn't being turned into some sort of botnet. If you download certain free apps on the iPhone, the apps is accessing the phone number of the phone and sending it back to the company that made the app. The company then is calling the iPhone number trying to convince the user to pay for a full version. From what I understand, allowing an application to access the phone number has been in many APIs in other phones. Whether they should without the user's permission is another story.