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Apple Tries To Stop Developers Sharing Data On Users' Friends (bloomberg.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the quietly-hoping-nobody-notices dept.

Apple has updated its App Store guidelines to close a loophole that let app makers store and share data without many people's consent. The practice has "been employed for years," reports Bloomberg. "Developers ask users for access to their phone contacts, then use it for marketing and sometimes share or sell the information -- without permission from the other people listed on those digital address books." From the report: As Apple's annual developer conference got underway on June 4, the Cupertino, California-based company made many new pronouncements on stage, including new controls that limit tracking of web browsing. But the phone maker didn't publicly mention updated App Store Review Guidelines that now bar developers from making databases of address book information they gather from iPhone users. Sharing and selling that database with third parties is also now forbidden. And an app can't get a user's contact list, say it's being used for one thing, and then use it for something else -- unless the developer gets consent again. Anyone caught breaking the rules may be banned.

While Apple is acting now, the company can't go back and retrieve the data that may have been shared so far. After giving permission to a developer, an iPhone user can go into their settings and turn off apps' contacts permissions. That turns off the data faucet, but doesn't return information already gathered.

21 comments

  1. About f*ing time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Someone has finally seen sense. This has been then biggest tradgedy of the era. I honestly donâ(TM)t think people realised they were selling their friends out when the click on that âaccess you contactsâ(TM) âfor your convenienceâ(TM) permission (if even asked). And get with the times, itâ(TM)s not about âtheir contact detailsâ(TM); itâ(TM)s about their networks!

    1. Re: About f*ing time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Privacy is a thing of the past... and has been for a very long time... ANY company (incl. Apple) is like the sith empire now...

        "I am altering the deal.. PRAY I don't alter it any further"

  2. Re:Apple philosophy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I still use my iPhone 6s and reduce my monthly bill from $80 to $50. As a phone and a video camera, the iPhone 6s isn't obsolete and I use it to make my videos on youtube. As a Sprint very special customer for 20+ years, Sprint will always give me a new iPhone for free if I decide to stop using the 6s as a phone in the next several years.

  3. Still the best by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 3, Insightful

    [Apple:] No one picks on my little brother but me!

    It's still better than Google: "Whatever man, you got his permission" or Facebook: "I'll hold down my little brother."

    --
    Your ad here. Ask me how!
  4. Like gun laws? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Will this really stop developers from doing that? Or will this be like so many gun laws on the books today...those who follow the rules will be affected, while those who don't care about them will pretend they don't exist.

    1. Re:Like gun laws? by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

      Will this really stop developers from doing that?

      That depends on how well it is enforced. The standard way to detect abuse is to "salt" the lists with a small amount (less than 1%) fake data, using names and emails that are highly unlikely to be randomly guessed, are used for no other purpose, and are unique for each requester. If you get marketing spam on one of those address, you know exactly who broke the rules.

    2. Re:Like gun laws? by thoughtlover · · Score: 1

      Apple needs to f***ing put a sandbox around Contacts, Mail, Notes, etc, and only allow intercommunication between apps that willingly share keys. Simple and done.

      The general rule is, "You don't get what you expect, you get what you inspect."

      You can trust that if someone is allowed to break the rule/law, they will break it. Just sandbox those damn apps already, Apple!

      --
      No sig for you! Come back one year!
  5. Oh great.... by dohzer · · Score: 0

    Oh great... are we going to get Steve Jobs testifying in front of congress now?

  6. Re:Apple philosophy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wow, what a day!

    At last somebody with the same grammatical level as creimer. Perfect candidate to chat with creimer.

    I hope you guys can become buddies Chris!

  7. Applir should be ashamed, they are just as guilty by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Web browsers still dont sandbox websites by URL
    Websites still ask you to login with gmail or facebook
    Steam install separate CDN software with its own EULA alloying them tonso what they want
    Microsoft advertises to you and really urges to log in.
    Apple Is no different

  8. Whatsapp by vanyel · · Score: 2

    That's one of the main reasons I don't use whatsapp - it's model depends on grabbing your contact book and making a worldwide graph of connections. I'm in it whether I want to be or not simply because some of my friends use it.

  9. America, the land of by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Dude we ruined your life, we are just kidding. It's only 20% of your entire lifespan, don't worry it's just a joke.

  10. Evil and the Apple by AndyKron · · Score: 1

    Why did Apple allow this to begin with?

    1. Re: Evil and the Apple by Pieroxy · · Score: 2

      You mean, why did apple allowed apps to access your address book after you gave it the explicit consent to do it?

      --
      Write boring code, not shiny code!
    2. Re:Evil and the Apple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why did Apple allow this to begin with?

      Apple allows you to choose if an app can't or can access the address book because such choice is what people want.

      Some apps need access to the address book, and I for one am glad I can say "yes"
      Other apps do not need access to the address book, and I am glad I can say "no"

      For example I have an app that creates a CSV backup of my contacts list and uploads it to my dropbox account. If I couldn't allow it access to the contact list I would be quite upset.

      An example on the other hand would be pretty much any and all games which I would never want to have such access. If I couldn't deny it access to the contact list I would also be quite upset.

      A much better question is, why do you feel it's acceptable that your phone manufacturer forces you to either always give away your contact list against your will, or always forces you to not be able to access your own data when you wish to do so?

  11. Facebook and others will be happy by DutchDopey · · Score: 2

    This is a consolidation of power for facebook and other big companies. They used this expansion technique to get big, now by taking away this method you block other innovative, maybe less evil technologies to ever become that popular. This technique used to be the main driver for growing.

  12. Selling, not "sharing" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Can we please stop using that marketing word? Spybook and friend don't "share" your personal data -- they SELL it.