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Apple Removes Over 250 iOS Apps With Ad SDK That Collects Personal User Data
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It is hard to prevent people from maliciously using these private APIs. Please see the background article from Source DNA:
https://sourcedna.com/blog/20151018/ios-apps-using-private-apis.html
I'll call bs. In modern operating systems you only give access to things that you want the app to access, especially if that item was sensitive. Using debugging techniques to replace and monitor call dispatches on these libraries would easily be able to identify misbehaving apps at runtime and of course Apple could properly secure these calls in the first place by making sure calling apps had appropriate permissions. By saying its hard to prevent private app use is a cop-out.
Chinese ad company apologizes for snooping on iOS users. http://www.cultofmac.com/393234/chi...s-users&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitter Really!
I was upset when Apple removed one of my apps...but now I'm not. This is very worrying.
http://www.express.co.uk/life-style...-Apple-App-Store-256-Removed-Privacy-Concerns
http://www.express.co.uk/life-style...-Apple-App-Store-256-Removed-Privacy-Concerns
Thanks. Read through the article. In it, it states "Apple has been locking down private APIs, including blocking apps from reading the platform serial number in iOS 8." This was my point. There are ways Apple can prevent the API from being used even when the bad people write the code to obfuscate what its doing. I am sure that it is not the easiest thing to do as they were only able to prevent the serial number in iOS8, but they need to continue to work on this to prevent any further intrusion by bad people or bad governments.
I seriously hate this data collection stuff. Lets turn the internet to back where it was in the late 90's. I am starting to opt into paid services. $10-50 yearly(depending on the service) is better than having someone read into my personal life and selling my information to 3rd parties.
Then almost certainly so was Apple, since according to the leaked slides they are also partners in the PRISM program.
However, this is a typical layman's misunderstanding of what PRISM is about and what the money is used for. It's not paying for information. It's paying to filter the info to protect Americans.
As even Cook pointed out, PRISM is not a direct connection or backdoor to any corporate servers. The government does not have direct access to Apple or Google's or Microsoft's databases. Instead, it is a standard method of requesting (under court order) specific information related to keywords and foreign nationals.
E.g. upon request from an agency investigating a threat, a court might order that Apple / Google / Microsoft return all info they have related to a certain foreign national with specific keywords. Apple/Google/MS searches for that data on their own servers, and returns the info. If they think the request is too broad, they can push back and get clarification.
This legal cooperation requires a corporation to pay employees to retrieve info, and... most importantly... have lawyers and other personnel to vet the data about to be returned, to make sure that unrelated US national information is not accidentally included. THAT is what the extra money is for. To make sure the laws protecting Americans are complied with.
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The moral of the story is Apple can only do so much. The user should avoid sketchy looking apps from little known developers. Do research and reviews before you download. Carelessly downloading apps is like inviting friends or acquaintances of your friends to your party and house. Be careful. You don't know people's real motives and you don't know apps' real purpose.
Apple can test every single app they allow into the App Store! It's either certified safe or it's not, otherwise we may as well take pot luck in the Google Play Store.
Regarding the list of apps, it's outrageous that Apple have removed them from the App Store but not informed those who already own and use them.
It's interesting that between Apple and Google, I have had 2 apps that Apple recommended delete or just removed and 1 app from Google.
Statistically they are the same. We just tend to trust Apple more.
There's a list of some of the apps in this article http://bgr.com/2015/09/21/app-store-hack-iphone-malware-apps-list/
I haven't checked the others but CamScannerPro and Angry Birds 2 are still in the App Store...
There were a ton of downloader apps removed, they're still removed and they aren't on that list.
I honestly cannot understand why there isn't yet a law the limits the method of collecting personal information from electronic devices.... especially without the user's knowledge.
ALL developers should be required to develop an app that has the ability for the user to COMPLETELY prevent any data from being collected.
I just find it absolutely mind boggling that people could care less if companies like Google record Every Single Word you search, and then record WHAT you click on and HOW LONG you are at that website.
Just amazes me.
ALL developers should be required to develop an app that has the ability for the user to COMPLETELY prevent any data from being collected.
I just find it absolutely mind boggling that people could care less if companies like Google record Every Single Word you search, and then record WHAT you click on and HOW LONG you are at that website.
Just amazes me.
Of what real use is the law if the developer is in a foreign domicile? For home grown apps I could see that (we don't have one?). Apple already has rules that can result in the ban of a developer.
All apps should be scanned and checked before they're allowed in the App Store. Face it, most of us believed this already happened and that the Google Play Store was the one you had to look out for!
You obviously don’t understand the definition of racism or trends. I defy you to prove my observation wrong: 1) The bulk of half-ass copycat apps are submitted by developers with Asian names. 2) The majority of those apps never evolve beyond version 1.x (The developer is not committed to the app). Is it a trait of their race that they like to profit from cheap imitations? Dunno. Is it a trait of some Asian cultures? Yes. Don’t take my word for it. Let this Asian Quora contributor explain… http://qr.ae/RkKKoH