US senator calls for FTC investigation of Apple, Google over privacy loopholes
U.S. Senator Charles Schumer has issued a call for the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Apple and Google over potential privacy issues arising from loopholes in their respective mobile operating systems.
Sen. Schumer (D-NY) has raised concerns over iOS and Android because of a recent report from The New York Times outing a loophole where an app could upload users' photos when authorized to access location data, Reuters reported on Sunday. He also took issue with last month's discovery that some applications have been uploading user's address books to their own servers without permission.
"These uses go well beyond what a reasonable user understands himself to be consenting to when he allows an app to access data on the phone for purposes of the app's functionality," the senator said in a letter to the FTC.
"Smartphone makers should be required to put in place safety measures to ensure third party applications are not able to violate a user's personal privacy by stealing photographs or data that the user did not consciously decide to make public," he added.
Last month's report by the Times made use of a test app to demonstrate that an application could transmit geo-tagged photos to a remote server if allowed to access location information on the device.
Test app PhotoSpy's location authorization pop-up. Source| The New York Times
Social networking app "Path" came under fire last month when a developer discovered that the software was uploading contacts without asking for permission. The discovery brought to light the fact that a number of other popular apps also engaged in the practice. The "Path" team quickly responded with an apology and removed the offending feature.
For its part, Apple spoke up that unauthorized contact data transmission was in violation of its guidelines and pledged to require user approval in a future software release.
Apple faced lawmaker and regulator scrutiny last year over a similar issue with user location data. The company was part of an FTC forum last May as a result of a controversy over database files uncovered within iOS and Android that appeared to track user's locations. Apple clarified that the file was actually a crowd-sourced database of Wi-Fi networks used to improve location accuracy.
Locations from iOS database plotted. | Source: O'Reilly Radar
The U.S. Senate also called Apple and Google to a series of its own hearings last year over the location issue. Apple insisted at the hearings that it has no plans to ever track users' locations.
[ View article on AppleInsider ]
Comments
If the app attempts to access a permission that it does not state the app will not function correctly.
Schumer is deep into suckling the teat of Wall Street and will say and do whatever keeps him in office. He knows nothing of technology and is parroting his telecom masters. Political parties mean nothing to those lip-locked to the 1%.
You've just described everyone in office.
"Smartphone makers should be required to put in place safety measures to ensure third party applications are not able to violate a user's personal privacy by stealing photographs or data that the user did not consciously decide to make public," he added.
He's right. I wonder what the result of the inquiry will be.
Schumer is deep into suckling the teat of Wall Street and will say and do whatever keeps him in office. He knows nothing of technology and is parroting his telecom masters. Political parties mean nothing to those lip-locked to the 1%.
If he is truly a rumpswab for big business, then Apple has nothing to worry about.
Schumer is deep into suckling the teat of Wall Street and will say and do whatever keeps him in office. He knows nothing of technology and is parroting his telecom masters. Political parties mean nothing to those lip-locked to the 1%.
Being crass and crude does not make you smart or right. It simply makes you crass, crude and repugnant.
He's right. I wonder what the result of the inquiry will be.
Even before the inquiry, some issues are rather clear. Apple (and Google) is relying on a code of honor amongst developers to treat user data as sacred. It's like asking software purchasers to read the license agreement and truly agree before clicking Yes, and expecting them to remember and honor what they have agreed to.
Having said that, some issues are also overblown.
And reap the resulting press accounts, of course.
In other words, I don't have time to solve employment, jobs, the debt, campaign financing, or corruption... but I do have time to complain about a problem that Apple's already committed to fixing.
And reap the resulting press accounts, of course.
That's about right. Schumer's one of the biggest attention whores in the Senate. He holds an amazing number of press conferences on a regular basis. He won't be getting my vote again. I miss the days when Daniel Patrick Moynihan was senior senator of this great state.
Sorry but last I checked google does not have any privacy loopholes. Instead you are met with this upon installation of a market place app:
If the app attempts to access a permission that it does not state the app will not function correctly.
Surely this must be sarcasm on your part. Take a look at Accounts and you'll see it gives the app the authorization to do anything on your system. Doesn't Google address book try to mimic your system's address book? Full Internet access? etc. etc.
The average user doesn't have a clue how deep this dialog box's rabbit hole goes!
Schumer is deep into suckling the teat of Wall Street and will say and do whatever keeps him in office. He knows nothing of technology and is parroting his telecom masters. Political parties mean nothing to those lip-locked to the 1%.
I hope you don't feel this way about me!
In other words, I don't have time to solve employment, jobs, the debt, campaign financing, or corruption... but I do have time to complain about a problem that Apple's already committed to fixing.
And reap the resulting press accounts, of course.
I couldn't have said it better. +1
what the fuck man.
This is absolutely ridiculous...these "issues" require a software update and nothing more...to push an investigation is to try and make a name for yourself with bullshit causes.
Seems to be one bullshit cause a month involving either Apple or Google.
Surely this must be sarcasm on your part. Take a look at Accounts and you'll see it gives the app the authorization to do anything on your system. Doesn't Google address book try to mimic your system's address book? Full Internet access? etc. etc.
The average user doesn't have a clue how deep this dialog box's rabbit hole goes!
Actually Android doesn't even have a dialog that allows an app to grab your photos, it just does it because it can.
Read it and learn:
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/0...ndroid-photos/
and
http://gigaom.com/mobile/why-google-...image-problem/
Google has no good explanation for why Android apps can grab photos and net even ask first.