Google's Also Peddling a Data Collector Through Apple's Back Door (techcrunch.com)

Posted by msmash on Wednesday January 30, 2019 @07:50AM from the infestation-breaks dept.

Facebook is not the only one abusing Apple's system for distributing employee-only apps to sidestep the App Store and collect extensive data on users. Google has been running an app called Screenwise Meter, which bears a strong resemblance to the app distributed by Facebook Research that has now been barred by Apple, TechCrunch reported Wednesday. From the report: In its app, Google invites users aged 18 and up (or 13 if part of a family group) to download the app by way of a special code and registration process using an Enterprise Certificate. That's the same type of policy violation that led Apple to shut down Facebook's similar Research VPN iOS app, which had the knock-on effect of also disabling usage of Facebook's legitimate employee-only apps -- which run on the same Facebook Enterprise Certificate -- and making Facebook look very iffy in the process. It needs to be pointed out that Google's app is relatively transparent about what it does and who runs it.

1 of 46 comments (clear)

Min score:

Reason:

Sort:

It doesn't matter how up front the are by Dixie_Flatline · 2019-01-30 10:21 · Score: 3, Insightful

There's a really excellent breakdown of the terms of the Enterprise agreement in the Facebook thread (https://apple.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=13320022&cid=58046318) and it's clear that this is a violation of that agreement no matter how you swing it. Unless these people are contractors and only use the application on-site (which is to say, at Google, under the DIRECT supervision of an employee) this is a clear breach of the contract.
Google may have a little less to lose than Facebook by having the certificate rejected, but it's not going to be a trivial thing for them either.