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| Apple yanks privacy application from the App Store |
| By Thom Holwerda on 2012-07-20 12:23:33 |
| "Back in May of this year, Internet security firm Bitdefender launched an app and service designed to help iOS users get a grip on what the apps installed on their mobile devices may be up to. [...] The app tells owners of iOS devices which applications may be accessing more information than they need, and identifies potentially 'misbehaving' apps, giving users an inside look at all the information app developers can gather about a user. [...] Seems legit, right? Apple doesn't think so. Or at least they have an issue with something behind the app that sparked them to pull it from the App Store this week." That seems odd. Why would they do such a thing? "Interestingly, Bitdefender did share some data that they gathered based on Clueful's analysis of more than 65,000 popular iOS apps so far: 42.5 percent of apps do not encrypt users' personal data, even when accessed via public Wi-Fi; 41.4 percent of apps were shown to track a user's location unbeknownst to them; almost one in five of the apps analyzed can access a user's entire Address Book, with some even sending user information to the cloud without notification." Oh, right. Informing users their data is wholly unsafe? Not on Apple's watch! |
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| RE: Comment by MOS6510 |
| By Soulbender on 2012-07-20 14:07:17 |
|
A quick search would have told you exactly how it works: Clueful looks at what apps are on your iPhone and then fetches privacy details about them from the cloud (which is why it needs to have an Internet connection). Apps are analyzed at the Bitdefender Labs, not on your device |
 - Score: 9 |
| Glossy glass |
| By Gestahlt on 2012-07-20 14:11:19 |
|
Do we even care to be tracked? Even with a dumbphone you can be tracked as long as you have a phone number / sim registered to you. Not as accuratly and informative as a smarter-than-you phone does, but they will find you if they want. Then we come to the question who are "they"? That is simple. "They" is anything that tracks you. Do i care? Well, i do feel uneasy knowing the fact that it is easily possible. Who knows what i am up to. Do you guys care? |
| - Score: 2 |
| RE[2]: Comment by MOS6510 |
| By MOS6510 on 2012-07-20 14:11:30 |
| I know, I was just giving you an assist to make you appear clever. :-p |
| - Score: 0 |
| Best way to avoid privacy issue ... |
| By dvhh on 2012-07-20 14:18:04 |
| ... Is to avoid talking about them ? |
| - Score: 7 |
| RE: Jailbreak |
| By moondevil on 2012-07-20 14:48:29 |
| If you don't give Apple money, you don't need to care about jailbreak. |
| - Score: 10 |
| RE: simple solution |
| By moondevil on 2012-07-20 14:50:10 |
| Exactly! +1 (since I already commented) |
| - Score: 2 |
| Pulled as hoax? |
| By bram on 2012-07-20 16:02:06 |
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I think it got pulled because Apple (probably rightfully) believes this app to be a hoax. How could the app ever inspect other apps on your device? The sandbox makes it completely impossible even to see what other apps are installed! |
| - Score: -1 |
| It's a clear violation of the Terms of Service |
| By fretinator on 2012-07-20 16:03:37 |
| Apple clearly states in the App Developer Terms of Service (ADTOS), "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!" |
| - Score: 3 |
| RE[3]: simple solution |
| By maccouch on 2012-07-20 16:55:58 |
|
what info? you keep going on this but what info exactly do you want? what you bought on the itunes store is right there on your account. your personal and contact info is in appleid.apple.com on icloud i assume there is everything you set up to sync through icloud. The time that they are stored on the servers was explained when they presented iCloud itself. (I assume cache in distributed server doesn't count) what other data has Apple collected on you? i still haven't figure out what exactly are you asking. you can also try this site: http://www.apple.com/privacy/ and follow the procedures to ask for further data. It should provide a good piece of actual reporting for OSnews. You keep berating Apple for this "privacy issues" while enthusiastically recomending Google products that actually are known to capture, analyse and store your data. I really don't get this. Apple has a lot of stupid policies and defects to go around, but until now there is no known episode nor policy of massive data mining by them. So what exactly is your issue here? Edited 2012-07-20 16:56 UTC |
| - Score: 4 |
| RE[3]: simple solution |
| By Drumhellar on 2012-07-20 17:07:04 |
|
WTF? A well reasoned argument contained, offering reasonable alternatives, without disparaging the people who don't choose one of those reasonable alternatives, in a cool, even-tempered comment? NOT ON MY INTERNET YOU DON'T!!! |
| - Score: 5 |
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