Apple Requires User Permission Before Apps Can Access Personal Data in iOS 6

[crisss1205]

I'm good, I have nothing to hide. Like most people in this forum, I am a honest hard working person.

With your amount of concern it sure makes me wonder what you're hiding.

It has nothing to do with hiding information. You may not want some huge company to know everything about you, sometimes very sensitive information related to work or health. I don't need Facebook to know, lets say, that I have an appointment with an oncologist or have access to my work calendar that may have some confidential information in the notes.

 

[Delighted]

It has nothing to do with hiding information. You may not want some huge company to know everything about you, sometimes very sensitive information related to work or health. I don't need Facebook to know, lets say, that I have an appointment with an oncologist or have access to my work calendar that may have some confidential information in the notes.

I apolgize, I didn't realize our iPhones have been leaking our work and health information. May I ask how many people actually had their work and health information contained? Only if you have the time.

 

[SeaFox]

Apple later agreed to comply with a new California law requiring links to privacy policies in consistent locations and provide a method for users to report apps that do not comply with privacy requirements.https://www.macrumors.com/2012/06/1...efore-apps-can-access-personal-data-in-ios-6/

I like how this is written as though Apple had a choice on whether or not to obey the law.

 

[danderton]

I wish it also allowed Developer to have a small description of why Facebook or whatever app wants to access my calendar or whatever. instead of just going "hey they want access to X, okie?" -- it'd just be good to know at least one of the reasons why.

Developers have the option to add why they want access. They always have - its just not very commonly used.

 

[jasric]

Apple: "No more lawsuits, please?"

Love this Soo True

 

[Shrink]

I'm good, I have nothing to hide. Like most people in this forum, I am a honest hard working person.

With your amount of concern it sure makes me wonder what you're hiding.

I'm busted!!! Well, you got me!! I thought I was able to hide my criminal behavior, but you found me out. You must be incredibly perspicacious and insightful. I thought I had everybody fooled into thinking I was an honest and hardworking person, but you found me out.

Actually, I'm a horrible criminal and have a tremendous amount of incriminating information on my computer which would get me 100's of years of jail time.





Consider the idea that the maintenance of privacy does not suggest something nefarious is being hidden. How about the privacy of people in my Contact book, for example.

You apparently have little understanding of the concept of personal privacy. Even "honest and hardworking" might just prefer to keep a modicum of privacy.

 

[albusseverus]

Stay out of our business

It's amazing how many apps want access to my contacts that i had no idea was reading them.

I loaded Bump to help someone figure out how to get it working. It pesters me for location and contact info. It's a photo transfer app!!! You bang 2 phones together and transfer a photo!

But wait. If we add other features, we can grab user's data…

Stay out of my business! If you can't build a free app and set it free, go to Android. Get a better idea that people will pay for and build that.

Appreciate Apple exposing data grabs. Don't appreciate the meme of taking personal data as a way to make apps pay.

 

[mcargument]

I loaded Bump to help someone figure out how to get it working. It pesters me for location and contact info. It's a photo transfer app!!! You bang 2 phones together and transfer a photo!

But wait. If we add other features, we can grab user's data…

Stay out of my business! If you can't build a free app and set it free, go to Android. Get a better idea that people will pay for and build that.

Appreciate Apple exposing data grabs. Don't appreciate the meme of taking personal data as a way to make apps pay.

Bump is an app that allows both photo sharing and contact sharing. Why it uses location I'm not entirely sure, but there are any number of reasons for that.

 

[psac]

This is a case where government is good.

 

[maroontiger2k9]

so all of the users ranting and raving about FB integration for iOS 6.0 can exhale now

 

[Bezetos]

Android has always done this. Fail

No it hasn't. You're told what the app has access to when you install it,you can't opt in or out of parts later.

Do you really change your mind that often?

I much prefer Android's solution as you know precisely what kind of information and permissions an app requires. It is true that you can't revoke those permissions afterwards though, but you have to assume that those permissions are necessary for the app to function properly.

 

[$*~AAPL~*$]

Great idea... I definitely don't like any kind of access unless I know about it. Surprised Apple let it go on at all. Glad to see this feature is here.

 

[Bezetos]

This line of thinking is stupid.

I don't use Android. I couldn't care less what they do or don't do.

If it's added to iOS, then fine. I'm not sitting there going "hm, I'm going to base my like or dislike on this feature based on whether or not a phone I don't even use has".

Get over yourselves, Googlebots and Fandroids.

I completely agree this line of thinking is stupid, but aren't Apple fans known for saying that "Google stole this, Android stole that"?

I think both sides should stop saying "X stole this idea from Y". Everyone should inspire one another and drive technology forward.

 

[Tomacorno]

so all of the users ranting and raving about FB integration for iOS 6.0 can exhale now

I had not started ranting and raving yet since I figured we would learn more before iOS6 arrived - but I was concerned. I don't use FB and it rattles me when they send me messages. They are usually in the format of, Reminder: <<Total stranger>> wants to connect with you on Facebook. Joining Facebook is easy...blah blah blah...here are some other people you may know who are using Facebook - and then there will be 3 or 4 smiling faces of people I DO know. So, it would seem that Facebook is grabbing my data from their accounts but the weird thing to me is how it attaches to people that I do not know and that are not likely to be common connections with the people listed at the bottom of the FB invite.

 

[uknowimright]

False! There are apps in the android market which allow this type of control!!

shhh don't ruin their "facts"

 

[Bezetos]

Moronic statement. The interface of Maps on the iPhone was owned by Apple. Google was only providing the back end. This was by contract between the two. Apple was free to pull the Google back end off of their front end and replace it with their own as they see fit.

This is not entirely true. Most of the interface was designed by Google - I'm saying most because Google has probably designed all of it, but I'm not sure about that; the app itself has been developed by Google (same goes with the native YouTube app). Of course I'm not talking about Apple's native iOS GUI elements.

Pins, info bubbles, displaying routes, traffic etc. - all that was and is used on the Google Maps website and in its API. That wasn't created by Apple.

The Apple Map app is in first round beta and is already better than it ever was with Google's back end.

Well, many people over here will disagree with you (have a look at topics regarding the new maps).

 

[thermodynamic]

useful but i never found the privacy thing to be an issue. I put all my user data on the phone but I never felt it was being used inappropriately.

Even more interesting as the pic I saw for the article had "Facebook" as the program wanting to access one's contacts list... do you consider your contacts as "user data"?

And how would you know your data was used inappropriately? Otherwise hackers would get bored.

This is a solidly good move on Apple's part. To proactively pop up messages, but I suspect some users won't care and will happily click "YES" every single time anyway...

 

[jonnysods]

Say no to Facebook!

 

[goosnarrggh]

Nice. This is pretty much exactly the same user experience I had been advocating (not sure if it was on this forum or not) ever since the calendar-leaking-app scandal.

Only major difference was that I was hoping they would make it possible to choose to remember or forget the decision. If you opt to remember it, the same choice would automatcally apply to all future attempts by the same App to access the same information; if you opt to forget it, the same question would be asked again each time the same app requests the same permission.

 

[The Phazer]

This is not entirely true. Most of the interface was designed by Google - I'm saying most because Google has probably designed all of it, but I'm not sure about that; the app itself has been developed by Google (same goes with the native YouTube app). Of course I'm not talking about Apple's native iOS GUI elements.

This is flat out untrue, and has been confirmed multiple times.

Google has even said that they produced the iOS YouTube web app as Apple would not fix the native app.

Phazer

 

[paradox00]

Do you really change your mind that often?

I much prefer Android's solution as you know precisely what kind of information and permissions an app requires. It is true that you can't revoke those permissions afterwards though, but you have to assume that those permissions are necessary for the app to function properly.

It's not even about changing your mind. Not all permissions are required for an app to function, perhaps they function better with those permissions, but they are not all required. If an app in iOS wants to use my location and I don't want it to, I say no, and still get to use the app. In Android, I'd have to read what permissions it uses (which most people don't) and not use it if I didn't want it to access my location. Do you really not see the problem with that?

Apple expanding these permissions to other privacy settings is a good thing, and it would be good if Google worked on improving their permissions as well.

----------

False! There are apps in the android market which allow this type of control!!

So you have to run another app to implement security features that should come standard with the OS? I'm sure I've heard Apple criticized for that sort of thing before. It's still not a feature that comes standard with the OS.

 

[Bezetos]

It's not even about changing your mind. Not all permissions are required for an app to function, perhaps they function better with those permissions, but they are not all required. If an app in iOS wants to use my location and I don't want it to, I say no, and still get to use the app. In Android, I'd have to read what permissions it uses (which most people don't) and not use it if I didn't want it to access my location. Do you really not see the problem with that?

No, I don't. There is no problem. If I'm installing a map app, I'm sure it needs my location, I don't need to suddenly revoke my permission to grant it access to my location.

If you don't want an app to track your location, you can simply disable location services. If you don't trust an app, don't install it in the first place. Simple.

Apple expanding these permissions to other privacy settings is a good thing, and it would be good if Google worked on improving their permissions as well.

There's not much to improve, I have the opposite opinion - Apple should look at Android and implement similar functionality.

When I install an app on Android, I clearly see which permissions it requires. I will know exactly what it will access. This is not true with iOS apps. Do you really not see the problem with that?

 

[paradox00]

No, I don't. There is no problem. If I'm installing a map app, I'm sure it needs my location, I don't need to suddenly revoke my permission to grant it access to my location.

If you don't want an app to track your location, you can simply disable location services. If you don't trust an app, don't install it in the first place. Simple.

You actually don't need to share your location to use a maps app. See google maps on the desktop. Sharing your location just unlocks more functionality. What about Facebook? It wants your location too, but most of its features have no need for it. What about apps that ask for stuff they don't need, and possibly send that data to be stored on their servers? Should your only options be "use this app and share everything it wants" or "don't use it"? Think for a second, just one.

There's not much to improve, I have the opposite opinion - Apple should look at Android and implement similar functionality.

When I install an app on Android, I clearly see which permissions it requires. I will know exactly what it will access. This is not true with iOS apps. Do you really not see the problem with that?

So the iPhone should stop asking users when an app attempts to access their location for the first time, and instead rely on a text file that no one reads when they install an app? That's a genius idea... for those opposed to privacy.

You're right, iOS apps should state what they have access to before they're installed, but it's a pretty terrible joke to consider that a substitute for a real permissions system, which Apple is moving towards implementing. Drop the fanboy act for a second and give it some thought.

 

[Bezetos]

What about apps that ask for stuff they don't need, and possibly send that data to be stored on their servers? Should your only options be "use this app and share everything it wants" or "don't use it"? Think for a second, just one.

Exactly. Think for a second. If you don't trust an app, don't install it.

Think for a second. Every app on an iPhone has internet access and previously had full access to your phonebook etc.. iOS apps still have access to other things on the phone without you knowing about it.

Think for a second. There's a plethora of apps on Android that access your phonebook and other personal things, but do not require full internet access, so you can be sure that nothing will be sent anywhere. This is not the case with iOS apps.

Moreover thanks to Android's permissions system more APIs can be safely exposed to developers. You can for instance intercept a call and do something with it (e.g. turn off music on your computer when someone calls me like in my Foobar2000 controller app and since the app does not require full internet access, it is safe to use). You can't do this on an iPhone.

Think for a second, just one.

So the iPhone should stop asking users when an app attempts to access their location for the first time, and instead rely on a text file that no one reads when they install an app? That's a genius idea... for those opposed to privacy.

No, they shouldn't get rid of that, however you should be informed about what the app will access exactly.

It's nice that iOS asks for your permission when accessing your location (once), however this should be used on top of a solid permissions system. After you give an app access to GPS, it will retain that access until you revoke it.

(...) it's a pretty terrible joke to consider that a substitute for a real permissions system (...)
Drop the fanboy act for a second and give it some thought.

Likewise, you too drop the fanboy act. Android HAS a real permissions system, iOS hasn't. Is simply asking for you location and address book a "real permission system"? Apple is improving in that area, but is still lacking. Android has already a solid system in place, and calling it a "joke" is sign of your serious fanboism or lack of knowledge on your side.

Plus, I'm not a fanboy. I've got both an iPhone and an Android phone. I've been using iPhones since 3G. I've been developing apps for both iOS and Android. This allows me to have an unbiased approach to both platforms and compare them fairly.

 

[paradox00]

Likewise, you too drop the fanboy act. Android HAS a real permissions system, iOS hasn't. Is simply asking for you location and address book a "real permission system"? Apple is improving in that area, but is still lacking. Android has already a solid system in place, and calling it a "joke" is sign of your serious fanboism or lack of knowledge on your side.

A block of text or a one time notification isn't a "a real permissions system". It's a notification system. It tells you what the app has access to but you can't change it, so it's not a permissions system. You're right Apple isn't there yet, but they do have the framework for a permissions system in place, and they are adding more elements to it with iOS 6.

Truthfully, both iOS and Android could learn a little from each other. The two concepts are complementary to each other, but If I had to choose one, it would be the ability to manage permissions, because that grants the user more control.