Apple to Ban Apps With X-Mode Tracker That Sells Data to U.S. Defense Contractors

[PinkyMacGodess]

Govts defense contractors have less impact on elections and the public opinion than google and Facebook. Getting the vapors over this is bizarre. I don’t want any of them tracking me but I have no special fear of govt contractors. Amazon is a govt defense contractor. So are most major universities. So are Ratheon and Boeing and so many other companies. Probably Microsoft, Redhat, and IBM. Big deal nothing special or sinister about them.

Many of the voting machine companies are owned, or invested in, by the same people that are in the military industrial complex. Many government contractors are not bound by the same restrictions as the government is.

Many military contractors are constantly urging the president to go to war with *someone*. Almost literally *anyone*.

So, NO, I DO NOT TRUST CONTRACTORS! Not at all... (As an aside, how many 'government contractors' were committing war crimes in the Iraq/Afghanistan wars?)

 

[christarp]

I'm so proud of Ron Wyden for being on the right side of a LOT of digital privacy talks and measures.

 

[genovelle]

While lately they have been pushing privacy pretty hard, I would say they are no where close to leading the industry.

That is a pretty interesting take. Considering every privacy move Apple has made since mobile became a thing has had considerable push back from nearly everyone else, until they a forced to follow suit.

 

[grad]

Everybody here is missing the point. It's not just about the American "democracy" and the privacy of US citizens being compromised. It's also about the even more millions of citizens of other countries being spied by US military, which is way worse.

 

[alexprice]

Personally, and perhaps I'm misinformed...

While it does seem a little creepy that the military are potentially able to determine my location. I don't have anything to hide. Maybe from time to time I'll drive over the speed limit, or use a car park without paying.. But I doubt this will be a concern for the military. They'll surely be more interested in securing such access based upon defence purposes and national security? Like counterterrorism, or serious crimes. So perhaps.. it's a good thing..

I'd rather the military have access to it, rather than some other less trusted organisation or foreign government..

 

[genovelle]

As our last few and next president clearly demonstrate. A democracy greatly favors sociopathic narcissists who lust after power and little else.

This description sounds much more like the last 4 years than any point in our history by far. The last few weeks takes the cake and stomps on it. If we can survive the next 6 weeks we have a chance as a collective to change the conversation forever. I hope we get that chance. If not, we will devolve into a 3rd world country at war with each other over the same ideals but because one man’s desire for power, a sharp tongue and a knowledge of what buttons to push to create fear and chaos. I pray hope survives.

 

[amartinez1660]

Isn’t this collecting, buying, selling, handing around of private data hits many illegality checkboxes? I wonder if ‘banning’ is too light of a punishment.

Those least deserving of power are most likely to acquire it.

Yes! Entities in general have a tendency to reward bad behavior. We see it in the political landscape, at corporate environment, in schools, in families, etc. Heck even biblical passages.

 

[BWhaler]

Thank you Apple. More of this please.

 

[tongxinshe]

NSA has a LOT of ways to threat ALL of the companies to cooperate, so that it has EVERYONE under surveillance. This has been happening for DECADES and the degree can ONLY increase over time.

Don’t panic, just live with this UNCHANGEABLE fact and get your everyday life go on! Don’t try to know the true level and get yourself worried to death!

 

[Maconplasma]

Apple needs to make fundamental platform changes to stop these things from being possible in the first place. They shouldn't need to suddenly learn that things are happening because other people are finding it.

I'd add Google to the list but they don't even bother to pretend they have a privacy-focused approach.

Weird how you gave Google a "pass" when are the worse in security but you hold Apple accountable to the highest standards when they are the top in the tech industry in terms of privacy. SMH.

 

[A MacBook lover]

Weird how you gave Google a "pass" when are the worse in security but you hold Apple accountable to the highest standards when they are the top in the tech industry in terms of privacy. SMH.

Google is an evil company. Anyone who thinks otherwise is delusional.

They steal your data, steal others products, and censor your search/videos.

 

[haruhiko]

When China does this, it's the evilest evil in the world.
We have to understand that these governments are just the same shxt.

 

[Jimmy James]

Ain't that the truth. And how prescient now. The tea party got people out of the woodwork, and convinced them they were being cheated, and now, look at what's happening.

But the DOD? Siphoning off personal data? Why? I remember hearing about the DOD getting information from 'games' they put online. Marketing? Looking for 'future soldiers'? Future human shields for capitalism? Apparently. I remember the Cheney Iran/Iraq war, and people saying that the spawn of the politicians that thought it such an important war to happen at that time should be the first to serve. Makes sense. Some, a pitiful number, did 'serve'. Far too many didn't.

It's easy to dismiss the 'side effects' of war, if no one that sends people to war ever saw that first hand. (I'm surprised our current occupant hasn't started a bunch of wars, since he tried so hard to avoid seeing what they are like)

I'm not in favor of ANY group, or company, or government entity getting my data. Not that I have anything to hide, but the people that always want to see my data are always the first to block us seeing theirs. Ironic? Nope...

“I’m tired of old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in”.

 

[larrylaffer]

The problem is, there are legit reasons for accessing all sorts of information under other circumstances, the problem comes from what the developer intends to do with it, outside of the iOS environment. And computers are notoriously bad at divining human intent. So, it requires a lot of manual searching my humans to find this kind of thing.

Completely agree, there's no such thing as a perfect solution to this. But to be clear, I'm just saying Apple could be doing better. They need to find a solution that makes it harder for bad actors to do these things.

For example, how about an addition to the developer agreement that explicitly states what the developer can and cannot do with this kind of data. If the developer violates this, they void their contract, lose any unpaid revenue, etc.

 

[ouimetnick]

And people were accusing China of pulling this **** (which they do as well)
TikTok doesn't look so bad now 🤣

 

[JosephAW]

So much for the covid tracking app

 

[ikramerica]

It's okay if I get raped of my freedoms by a public servant as long as they talk nice to me or only rpe me of freedoms I didn't want any way. But military man is scary, even though he is the only public figure actually protecting me, so he can't have the information that literally every corporation in the world is buying up every day...

Pretty much.

Track me and sell my data to China or Russia or the DNC/RNC? Not a worry in the world.

 

[hot-gril]

“I’m tired of old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in”.
View attachment 1690520

Well, Germany did start a war around that time. What did you want the Allies to do about it, not participate?

 

[-BigMac-]

Everybody here is missing the point. It's not just about the American "democracy" and the privacy of US citizens being compromised. It's also about the even more millions of citizens of other countries being spied by US military, which is way worse.

Americans need to feel important so they emphasise themselves, a lot.

 

[mzeb]

View attachment 1690473

This could be taken a whole lot of ways on a political thread. How did you intend this to be taken?

 

[DeepIn2U]

I find them pretty proactive actually. They lead the industry in the sense. They’ve made privacy part of their brand and it’s damaging and embarrassing to them when issues come to light. I think they do make a lot of effort to keep ahead of if all.

Google doing good? LMAO I guess pushing out their own whistleblowers is their step of making privacy part of their brand

 

[Sasha-1]

This sort of thing keeps happening over and over again. Sick and tired of this. Who the F keeps putting this in their apps. Whoever is doing this, if I find out my app has it, I'll BAN you forever. Any publisher doing this will never get a cent from me.

 

[Jimmy James]

Well, Germany did start a war around that time. What did you want the Allies to do about it, not participate?

I would say the Germans dreamt it. Tyranny dies need to be resisted and stopped. But I digress.

 

[Plutonius]

but it's ok if Apple allows China to do it to their citizens ?

 

[coredev]

Personally, and perhaps I'm misinformed...

While it does seem a little creepy that the military are potentially able to determine my location. I don't have anything to hide. Maybe from time to time I'll drive over the speed limit, or use a car park without paying.. But I doubt this will be a concern for the military. They'll surely be more interested in securing such access based upon defence purposes and national security? Like counterterrorism, or serious crimes. So perhaps.. it's a good thing..

I'd rather the military have access to it, rather than some other less trusted organisation or foreign government..

This is a very US centric view. For a lot of the people being tracked the US Military is a foreign government agency.