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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: simple solution |
| By ronaldst on 2012-07-20 17:22:59 |
|
The simplest solution, do not use cellphones. Keep your privacy. -rms |
 - Score: 3 |
| Typically Apple |
| By mantrik00 on 2012-07-20 17:29:32 |
| This kind of arbitrary behaviour enabled by highly restrictive and manipulative policy terms should be a subject of anti-trust investigation because Apple is basically choosing winners and loosers. Such arbitrary behaviour harms the operations of a free market. |
| - Score: 5 |
| RE: Typically Apple |
| By MOS6510 on 2012-07-20 18:02:19 |
| Perhaps, but you don't know the reason why Apple did it, nor does Thom or anyone else here. |
| - Score: 2 |
| RE: Pulled as hoax? |
| By Soulbender on 2012-07-20 18:24:54 |
|
Maybe you should have done some basic research on the product and how it works before dismissing it as a hoax? fyi, the apps are are analyzed at Bitdefender Labs, not on the phone. The phone knows what apps are on the phone and uses the information from bitdefender to show you what app does what. |
| - Score: 7 |
| RE[3]: simple solution |
| By WorknMan on 2012-07-20 20:12:56 |
|
> Google gives full insight into what it collects and what it knows about you, and what is associated with your account. LMAO, yeah... sure they do. It is probably safe to assume that they're lying to you, as the profit motive is likely to outweigh their desire to be honest. This is the same for MS, Apple, Facebook, and pretty much every other for-profit, publicly traded corporation. Look, I am an Android user, and am fully in bed with Google, because in this day and age, unless you want to be relegated to the stone age, you pretty much have to get in bed with one of these companies, and I like Google's services the best. Doesn't mean I trust them though :P My point? If you (and not you specifically) trust Google anymore than you would the neighborhood pedophile with your children, then you are a f**king moron. |
| - Score: 3 |
| simple solution |
| By Janvl on 2012-07-20 20:44:43 |
|
Just for the record. I have a (cell)phone for making telephonecalls. I do not have a smartphone, nor a tablet. I build my own PC and run Linux, even on the desktop. I do not have a facebook-account I use diaspora, like Linus Thorvald. I like Stallman. I do not dislike MS, it is pretty usefull with win7. For me VMS, now OpenVMS was/is the best OS ever, the next thing is Unix/Linux. IBM's OS400 is a very nice proprietary OS and very functional too. But Apple has mutated into a patent-troll, killing innovation and with disrespect for its customers, I do not like them. |
| - Score: 2 |
| RE: Glossy glass |
| By Lion on 2012-07-20 21:50:33 |
|
it's desirable to know who has that information. in the dumbphone example you gave, that was only available to people with access to the cellular network, ie: emergency services and the telco itself. These days many people are publishing that info via foursquare, facebook checkins, latitude, etc. Which shares that info with the provider of that service and an audience as controlled by you. If not illegal, it's at least immoral for an app to gather that information from you without your knowledge. I don't know if iOS allows app developers to request less granular location data, but at least on android, apps have the ability ask for fuzzy data such as what city you are in, rather than a precise location. I am more comfortable with that as a user. |
| - Score: 2 |
| RE[2]: Typically Apple |
| By Lion on 2012-07-20 21:54:55 |
|
To throw my own hat into the ring of wild speculation... Apple has in the past withdrawn apps from the store seemingly arbitrarily and then added their same functionality into the OS shortly thereafter. Perhaps we are soon to see this same auditing function as a native part of iOS? |
| - Score: 2 |
| Comment by ilovebeer |
| By ilovebeer on 2012-07-20 22:10:47 |
|
Regardless of hardware maker, OS, and cellular carrier you use -- if you think your data is "safe" then you are a fool. Same goes for those who believe they are or can get full disclosure. Believing one insecure device is better than another doesn't leave your data any more "protected", it just means you're naive enough to fall for the fake security blanket you created in your head. |
| - Score: 4 |
| RE: Jailbreak |
| By bassbeast on 2012-07-21 04:54:23 |
|
Uhhh...why would you buy a device you then have to hack (and thus void the warranty IIRC) just so you can have a little logo? Lets face it folks, that is what it comes down to. For all the talk of retina putting HD on such a little screen is kinda pointless, and there are phones with more power, better GPU, etc, so when it all comes down to brass tacks its the fashion statement that the device makes. if you care about fashion? No problem, i see no harm in fashion statements and its a free country, but to act like hacking the phone makes the insane level of control apple uses "okay" is simply nuts. |
| - Score: 5 |
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