Apple turning a blind eye to App Developers stealing your address book?

[samcraig]

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/apple-doesnt-enforce-its-own-address-book-policy/12211?tag=nl.e539

Hmmmm

 

[Menel]

=(
I have long wondered about this. Since apps that sync contact data with their services, obviously have extensive read and write capability.

Not happy...

edit.
You look around app store, and you see lots of chinese names for knock off apps. Are we going to come to a place where our information is stored in who knows what databases?

=(

 

[Jare]

First of all, it's OPTIONAL. You have to manually initiate the upload to the server via whatever function they have set up.

Secondly I'm not saying I condone this, but how do you expect the function to work? Apple has locked down the Contacts List so that the ONLY way to "find your friends" in an app is to upload the list to the app's server.

Yes, they need to beef up the security (the app developers) but is this Apples fault? NO.

 

[samcraig]

First of all, it's OPTIONAL. You have to manually initiate the upload to the server via whatever function they have set up.

Secondly I'm not saying I condone this, but how do you expect the function to work? Apple has locked down the Contacts List so that the ONLY way to "find your friends" in an app is to upload the list to the app's server.

Yes, they need to beef up the security (the app developers) but is this Apples fault? NO.

According to Apple’s Developer TOS:

17.1: Apps cannot transmit data about a user without obtaining the user’s prior permission and providing the user with access to information about how and where the data will be used

17.2: Apps that require users to share personal information, such as email address and date of birth, in order to function will be rejected

Note 17.2 - As stated in the article - if *I* am one of those contacts, I am sharing my email address for the App to function. Further - MANY apps require an email address to function before even beginning. According to Apple's TOS (whether I/You agree with it or not) those Apps shouldn't be in the marketplace.

 

[Xgm541]

Brb, getting my tin foil hat.

Seriously, this is not that big of a deal. If you want a more secure device, go get a blackberry. Or dont download any apps.

 

[samcraig]

Brb, getting my tin foil hat.

Seriously, this is not that big of a deal. If you want a more secure device, go get a blackberry. Or dont download any apps.

Oh please. If this were any other phone or manufacturer or OS many people here would be ALL over it and not making excuses.

 

[heifetz7]

on the bright side, this is a perfect way to to capture unsuspecting criminals and terrorists and their friends.

 

[Small White Car]

First of all, it's OPTIONAL. You have to manually initiate the upload to the server via whatever function they have set up.

Secondly I'm not saying I condone this, but how do you expect the function to work?

Well, the way Marco did it in Instapaper would be great:
http://www.marco.org/2012/02/09/ios-address-book-should-prompt-users

And secondly, Path quickly backtracked and changed their app:
http://mclov.in/2012/02/08/path-uploads-your-entire-address-book-to-their-servers.html


I find it interesting that the comments are both "so what's the big deal?" and "what else can they do?" Meanwhile, Path quickly changed how Path works almost overnight.

So apparently Path knew it was a big deal and they knew how to do it better, because that sure didn't take them long. So there's your answers.