Can apps access other areas of my phone without my consent?

[Siderz]

I'm gradually getting rid of my Facebook account, but there are still people who want to talk using it, so I was thinking of just using Facebook Messenger on my iPhone, but along with the Facebook integration, I'm concerned that they can take data without telling me.

I'm pretty sure Facebook puts cookies in your browser to track you around on other sites while you're not on Facebook, so can apps get into other areas of iOS without telling you?

And yes, I know that you can turn off things like sharing your address book to Facebook...don't bother telling me to check what I can and can't turn off in the privacy settings.

 

[darricksailo]

I'm gradually getting rid of my Facebook account, but there are still people who want to talk using it, so I was thinking of just using Facebook Messenger on my iPhone, but along with the Facebook integration, I'm concerned that they can take data without telling me.

I'm pretty sure Facebook puts cookies in your browser to track you around on other sites while you're not on Facebook, so can apps get into other areas of iOS without telling you?

And yes, I know that you can turn off things like sharing your address book to Facebook...don't bother telling me to check what I can and can't turn off in the privacy settings.

nope, appstore apps are sandboxed

 

[bozzykid]

I'm pretty sure Facebook puts cookies in your browser to track you around on other sites while you're not on Facebook, so can apps get into other areas of iOS without telling you?

Not on iOS it doesn't as when it launches the browser window inside of Facebook it is sandboxed.

 

[Siderz]

Thanks for the responses, I have another question, if I let Facebook Messenger access my photos so that I can send people photos, will this mean the app has the ability to upload everything in my camera roll or will it only be able to upload things that I click?

You can select photos to send and whatnot and obviously you need to grant it permission to your camera roll, but I remember once that if you let the Google+ app get your location, then it would upload all of your photos without telling you and in the background. This must have been in iOS5, I think this made Apple respond by making each individual thing (Photos, contacts, calendar etc.) need permission.

 

[Sirious]

Thanks for the responses, I have another question, if I let Facebook Messenger access my photos so that I can send people photos, will this mean the app has the ability to upload everything in my camera roll or will it only be able to upload things that I click?

You can select photos to send and whatnot and obviously you need to grant it permission to your camera roll, but I remember once that if you let the Google+ app get your location, then it would upload all of your photos without telling you and in the background. This must have been in iOS5, I think this made Apple respond by making each individual thing (Photos, contacts, calendar etc.) need permission.

It means you will be able to upload photos that you tap - not everything in your camera roll, unless you choose to.

Some apps are made to automatically keep your camera roll in sync with their service. You can override that by toggling the setting in "Privacy".

 

[Siderz]

It means you will be able to upload photos that you tap - not everything in your camera roll, unless you choose to.

Some apps are made to automatically keep your camera roll in sync with their service. You can override that by toggling the setting in "Privacy".

So if the app wants to upload all of my pics, it has to ask me? Not like what Google did with Google+ by not telling the user?

 

[Menel]

Thanks for the responses, I have another question, if I let Facebook Messenger access my photos so that I can send people photos, will this mean the app has the ability to upload everything in my camera roll or will it only be able to upload things that I click?

You can select photos to send and whatnot and obviously you need to grant it permission to your camera roll, but I remember once that if you let the Google+ app get your location, then it would upload all of your photos without telling you and in the background. This must have been in iOS5, I think this made Apple respond by making each individual thing (Photos, contacts, calendar etc.) need permission.

It means you will be able to upload photos that you tap - not everything in your camera roll, unless you choose to.

Some apps are made to automatically keep your camera roll in sync with their service. You can override that by toggling the setting in "Privacy".

So if the app wants to upload all of my pics, it has to ask me? Not like what Google did with Google+ by not telling the user?

If you give Facebook Messenger access to your photos, it can grab all, even photostream and upload it. It shouldn't be doing this, but they would technically have access.

Google+ asks the user and asked if you want to backup entire camera roll.

 

[Siderz]

If you give Facebook Messenger access to your photos, it can grab all, even photostream and upload it. It shouldn't be doing this, but they would technically have access.

So, now that I gave Messenger access to my photos, it may have uploaded all of my pictures? I'm not just focusing on Facebook, just more concerned about Facebook getting my photos.

Google+ asks the user and asked if you want to backup entire camera roll.

I know you can backup your camera roll to Google+, but in the past it used to upload all of your pictures, without telling you, in the background, to who knows where, simply by turning on the location services. This was back in iOS5 before you could individually turn off/on certain things, you could only turn off location services for apps.

Edit: This was a while ago, so I might be a bit wrong, but that's as much as I remember and trying to find a source is way too difficult.

 

[Menel]

So, now that I gave Messenger access to my photos, it may have uploaded all of my pictures? I'm not just focusing on Facebook, just more concerned about Facebook getting my photos.

It's possible. You've given iOS permission to let that happen. Facebook shouldn't be doing it, though they could now.

I know you can backup your camera roll to Google+, but in the past it used to upload all of your pictures, without telling you, in the background, to who knows where, simply by turning on the location services. This was back in iOS5 before you could individually turn off/on certain things, you could only turn off location services for apps.

This never happened. I've used the G+ app since the beginning.

Feb 2012, on iOS5, when the feature was launched.

"After installing the new Google+ app, you’ll be prompted to enable the feature, after which all the photos you take will be uploaded to a private Google+ folder."
http://venturebeat.com/2012/02/14/g...ploads-no-more-manual-uploading-like-a-chump/

 

[Siderz]

It's possible. You've given iOS permission to let that happen. Facebook shouldn't be doing it, though they could now.

When you say "It's possible" and "shouldn't be doing it", you mean it's against Apple's TOS/policies for an app to do this? Or, they could do this but it'd be unethical?

This never happened. I've used the G+ app since the beginning.

Feb 2012, on iOS5, when the feature was launched.

"After installing the new Google+ app, you’ll be prompted to enable the feature, after which all the photos you take will be uploaded to a private Google+ folder."
http://venturebeat.com/2012/02/14/g...ploads-no-more-manual-uploading-like-a-chump/

I'm not sure then, maybe you weren't able to upload a single photo without uploading your entire library, I just remember I didn't let the Google+ app access to my location because of something to do with photos, and a short while later I saw some tech blogs mentioning how it would upload everything without telling you.

 

[Menel]

When you say "It's possible" and "shouldn't be doing it", you mean it's against Apple's TOS/policies for an app to do this? Or, they could do this but it'd be unethical?

no
yes, but not what I meant.

It's possible: as in, you gave the app permission to access Photos. From here Facebook can do anything with any and all of your photos they want.

Do they? There is no indication that they do.

 

[PNutts]

I'm not just focusing on Facebook, just more concerned about Facebook getting my photos.

Uninstall the app. Problem solved.

 

[Siderz]

Uninstall the app. Problem solved.

That doesn't solve much because I still need to contact people for now and the only way is through Facebook Messenger.

 

[iShorty]

Facebook won't get your photos unless you have Photo Sync enabled.

[Photo Sync, https://www.facebook.com/help/photosync]

 

[MrGuder]

This is a perfect example of how we are slowly learning that our personal information is becoming harder and harder to hold on to...retailers are not safeguarding our credit info allowing hackers to ship it offshore to criminals and apps on our phone are wanting more and more permissions to access our data...we will soon learn that privacy once was golden. We entrust companies (be it retailers or app developers & their start up companies) to safeguard and keep their sites and our information hack free by keeping their software up to date and monitoring their sites and software yet we are finding we are so freely giving them our personal info without verifying they are doing what they should be to keep our info safe. It seems everyday we are hearing some site being hacked or attempted at being hack for what? to get your personal info.

Thank goodness Apple's app store is somewhat safe and they look for bad stuff before allowing it in the app store. Still...anytime you allow an app to access your personal data there is always going to be some risk. I feel it's only going to get worse with apps requesting more and more personal info. It seems not to phase the younger generation but the older gen realizes how privacy is the one thing you should be taking serious.

 

[iPodJedi]

No (i don think)they normally ask-like asking if they can see your photos or contacts. Maybe there are some apps that are like viruses and we don't even know???

 

[C DM]

This is a perfect example of how we are slowly learning that our personal information is becoming harder and harder to hold on to...retailers are not safeguarding our credit info allowing hackers to ship it offshore to criminals and apps on our phone are wanting more and more permissions to access our data...we will soon learn that privacy once was golden. We entrust companies (be it retailers or app developers & their start up companies) to safeguard and keep their sites and our information hack free by keeping their software up to date and monitoring their sites and software yet we are finding we are so freely giving them our personal info without verifying they are doing what they should be to keep our info safe. It seems everyday we are hearing some site being hacked or attempted at being hack for what? to get your personal info.

Thank goodness Apple's app store is somewhat safe and they look for bad stuff before allowing it in the app store. Still...anytime you allow an app to access your personal data there is always going to be some risk. I feel it's only going to get worse with apps requesting more and more personal info. It seems not to phase the younger generation but the older gen realizes how privacy is the one thing you should be taking serious.

I would really think that people who actually understand/care already know this from a long time ago. There's really nothing new here, just people who never cared or didn't want to think about keep on stumbling onto this as if it's new to them, but there really isn't much actual new stuff there.

 

[iPodJedi]

This is a perfect example of how we are slowly learning that our personal information is becoming harder and harder to hold on to...retailers are not safeguarding our credit info allowing hackers to ship it offshore to criminals and apps on our phone are wanting more and more permissions to access our data...we will soon learn that privacy once was golden. We entrust companies (be it retailers or app developers & their start up companies) to safeguard and keep their sites and our information hack free by keeping their software up to date and monitoring their sites and software yet we are finding we are so freely giving them our personal info without verifying they are doing what they should be to keep our info safe. It seems everyday we are hearing some site being hacked or attempted at being hack for what? to get your personal info.

Thank goodness Apple's app store is somewhat safe and they look for bad stuff before allowing it in the app store. Still...anytime you allow an app to access your personal data there is always going to be some risk. I feel it's only going to get worse with apps requesting more and more personal info. It seems not to phase the younger generation but the older gen realizes how privacy is the one thing you should be taking serious.

i seriously doubt there is much risk-i could see that but doesnt seem like something i should have to worry about.

----------

Uninstall the app. Problem solved.

there is no reason to uninstall the app...


I dont think there sould be a problem and have to worry about facebook i think they are trusted
thy arnt hackers trying to get your credit card info or anything.

 

[MrGuder]

I agree...this is not new info at all...the photo stuff is probably not much to worry about but these app developers and owners of these apps need to be put on high alert that since the public trusts them enough to download their app...they must in turn keep your data safe from hackers. It wasn't too long ago that Dropbox was in the news of a possible hack yet it turned out to be not true just their systems went off line...but what if it had been....the public trusts this company and we download their app knowing in turn they will keep your data safe. I can only imagine the ramifications if someone had hacked them and got access to everyone's file designated as their dropbox file...it's a wake up call for retailers, business's, app developers and their companies to keep your data safe if we choose to use their services.

 

[PNutts]

That doesn't solve much because I still need to contact people for now and the only way is through Facebook Messenger.

If someone made Facebook the only way to contact them you'll have to choose between your anxiety and privacy vs maintaining that relationship.

I would really think that people who actually understand/care already know this from a long time ago. There's really nothing new here, just people who never cared or didn't want to think about keep on stumbling onto this as if it's new to them, but there really isn't much actual new stuff there.

Well said. There's been little to no privacy since day one.

 

[MattInOz]

Depending how often you send photo's to facebook users the other options is to deny Facebook any access in Privacy setting then cut and paste the images you want to send from camera roll.

It's a bit more work each time but you control wish pictures it gets it's hands on.

 

[Siderz]

Depending how often you send photo's to facebook users the other options is to deny Facebook any access in Privacy setting then cut and paste the images you want to send from camera roll.

It's a bit more work each time but you control wish pictures it gets it's hands on.

I don't think you can copy & paste photos to the Facebook Messenger app.