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

[coredev]

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

Whataboutism at it's best.

 

[coredev]

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.

Guess what, this kind of trackers will most likely end up in free apps.
Those developers monetise their work by ads and - yes - tracking personal data.
So the next time you install a free app over a paid one, keep this in mind.

 

[gnasher729]

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.

For example: The maps application needs my precise location (within a few meters) to give me driving directions. The McDonald's app needs my location within 100m or 200m to tell me "where's the nearest McDonald's". The weather app needs my location within a few miles to tell me what the weather is where I am. The watch application needs my location with enough precision to know my timezone to display the correct time. Right now that's about 70 miles for me.

If your location is security sensitive then each of these may give too much information away. For example if someone in the US navy has their location tracked within 1,000 miles, that could show where their ship is, and that could be critical information.

 

[coredev]

So much for the covid tracking app

Covid tracking does not expose your location. Or your identity. It really protects your privacy, unlike the initial drafts that some governments wanted.
But even if it didn't, there is a big difference between an app tracking you for reasons you consent to - fighting a pandemic - and apps that track you for money without telling you.

 

[SBlue1]

While it does seem a little creepy that the military are potentially able to determine my location. I don't have anything to hide.

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

For us outside of the US this is a foreign government military. I would bet the recently murdered Iranian scientist got tracked down by his smartphone.

 

[Smigit]

Apple and Google would be setting the precedent that they can determine private enterprises' ability to collect and use mobile app data," the company said.

Have they been paying absolutely no attention to how Apple runs the App Store?

If the precedent hadn’t already been made, I’d be damn well happy for them to start setting it now anyway.

 

[Jason2000]

'Military man' IS scary. The DOD should NOT be harvesting data for ANY reason. I can't think of a good reason to allow the DOD's nose under the tent. I can't think of a single reason. None...

How about tracking terrorist ?

 

[BeefCake 15]

Thank you Mr.Cook!

 

[eltoslightfoot]

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

You just summed up the entire political landscape of 2020.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

How about tracking terrorist ?

Tracking terrorists, or tracking 'terrorists'?

There are politicians alive now, tragically, that think that minorities, immigrants, democrats, are terrorists. Be careful, the words that are thrown around. McCarthy proved that it's easy to spook the sheeple into causing all manner of illegalities. Do keep that in mind...

 

[justperry]

Apple The internet 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.

Fixed...well...kinda.

The problem is the internet in itself, we need a 2.0 reboot, there should be rules like the one I would like to see which is:
All your data belongs to you and you only, all sites/companies should have/set opt-out as default (setting in each and every browser available), if you agree with opt-in it should also be made as easy as possible to opt-out again, for instance by having a database somewhere with your preferences, every time a site offers you the content you asked for should check the database before uploading the data to you, if sites/companies ignore those they should get warned, *then fined, and eventually banned from the net.
Also, if I asked to be deleted from databases there should be one place to do so, you ask for it and it should be deleted instantly.

* A fine might be a low one for the first time but going up to a year in revenue, then eventually banned.

 

[hudson1]

Tracking terrorists, or tracking 'terrorists'?

There are politicians alive now, tragically, that think that minorities, immigrants, democrats, are terrorists. Be careful, the words that are thrown around. McCarthy proved that it's easy to spook the sheeple into causing all manner of illegalities. Do keep that in mind...

Do you have a list of names of these politicians?

 

[hudson1]

Why are Apple and Google upset that companies are selling location info to DOD contractors? Seems they should be upset they are selling it to anyone.

 

[R3k]

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

I was referring to Apple.

 

[katbel]

Is there a way for users to see if they have apps that do this?

I would like to know the apps list too: just to know who we can trust or who we can't

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Do you have a list of names of these politicians?

It's not quite obvious, but many of the names aren't hiding anymore.

 

[lxmeta]

View attachment 1690473

While it is a good story and would fit very nicely, what really annoys me: There is no source or evidence that he ever made that statement. This is one of the BS social media claims, and some people simply distribute it without fact-check, which is actually pretty bad, even though you meant no harm at all in this case. I guess that's why you will see one or the other thumbs down on your post.

 

[Tech198]

well, 14 days is allot better than 7. Gives developers more time to adjust

Yes, privacy through litigation, auditing, etc don't work. It starts at the source. Apple's move is necessary but not sufficient.

Someone tell me why, to store website logins, I have to also open myself up to being tracked across sites. I mean, I understand how cookies work. They shouldn't work that way.

This is "better" than actors we have "no control over" sell info anyway ? I suppose Apple does warn us...