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Apr 12, 2001
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Representatives Henry A. Waxman (D-CA) and G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) have sent letters to thirty-four app developers with a number of questions about their information collection and use practices. This follows on a letter from the Congressmen sent to Apple requesting information on the company's data collection policies it imposes on App Store developers.

The letters were sent to a wide variety of developers, and were selected by the Representatives on the basis of "their inclusion in the "Social Networking" subcategory within the "iPhone Essentials" area of Apple's App Store." They include Turntable.FM, Twitter, Tweetbot, Path, Instagram, Facebook, and Apple itself.

congressletter.png


Last month, a developer of applications ("apps") for Apple's mobile devices discovered that the social networking app Path was accessing and collecting the contents of his iPhone address book without having asked for his consent. Following the reports about Path, developers and members of the press ran their own small-scale tests of the code for other popular apps for Apple's mobile devices to determine which were accessing address book information. Around this time, three other apps released new versions to include a prompt asking for users' consent before accessing the address book. In addition, concerns were subsequently raised about the manner in which apps can access photographs on Apple's mobile devices.

We are writing to you because we want to better understand the information collection and use policies and practices of apps for Apple's mobile devices with a social element. We request that you respond to the following questions:

(1) Through the end of February 2012, how many times was your iOS app downloaded from Apple's App Store?

(2) Did you have a privacy policy in place for your iOS app at the end of February 2012? If so, please tell us when your iOS app was first made available in Apple's App Store and when you first had a privacy policy in place. In addition, please describe how that policy is made available to your app users and please provide a copy of the most recent policy.

(3) Has your iOS app at any time transmitted information from or about a user's address book? If so, which fields? Also, please describe all measures taken to protect or secure that information during transmission and the periods of time during which those measures were in effect.

(4) Have you at any time stored information from or about a user's address book? If so, which field? Also, please describe all measures taken to protect or secure that information during storage and the periods of time during which those measures were in effect.

(5) At any time, has your iOS app transmitted or have you stored any other information from or about a user's device - including, but not limited to, the user's phone number, email account information, calendar, photo gallery, WiFi connection log, the Unique Device Identifier (UDID), a Media Access Control (MAC) address, or any other identifier unique to a specific device?

(6) To the extent you store any address book information or any of the information in question 5, please describe all purposes for which you store or use that information, the length of time for which you keep it, and your policies regarding sharing of that information.

(7) To the extent you transmit or store any address book information or any of the information in question 5, please describe all notices delivered to uscrs on the mobile device screen about your collection and use practices both prior to and after February 8, 2012.

(8) The iOS Developer Program License Agreement detailing the obligations and responsibilities of app developers reportedly states that a developer and its applications "may not collect user or device data without prior user consent, and then only to provide a service or function that is directly relevant to the use of the Application, or to serve advertising.";

(a) Please describe all data available from Apple mobile devices that you understand to be user data requiring prior consent from the user to be collected.

(b) Please describe all data available from Apple mobile devices that you understand to be device data requiring prior consent from the user to be collected.

(c) Please describe all services or functions for which user or device data is directly relevant to the use of your application.

(9) Please list all industry self-regulatory organizations to which you belong.
The developers are given until April 12, 2012 to respond.

Article Link: Congressmen Send Inquiries to 34 App Developers Over Privacy Practices
 
Seriously... can we focus on the pressing issues of our country and not a privacy technicality that's already being taken care of?
 
I imagine people get sent to labor camps.

No - but there is a possibility of a charge of "contempt of congress" which I suspect most folks in the US won't want to deal with.

I'm actually OK with this as long as it doesn't become a witch hunt. The way our privacy is being taken from us is nothing short of breathtaking.

Keeping some people on their toes and letting them know that people are watching is good. Also, this is a brutally low-cost effort here so people shouldn't have any issues with that.
 
So we have government getting involved with iOS apps and the New Orleans Saints bounty program.

It's a good thing there aren't any important issues we need them tuned into.
 
I agree this is crazy. Anyone who has an iPhone, Blackberry, Android and does not think they can be tracked, traced and everything else is living a different world. I for one do not care, I like my iphone and I like the technology and features and I understand that is how it can tell me where the nearest gas station, etc might be . It might be nice to know whats happening once in a while so we can opt out if needed but then again it is the technology.

I see where Congress is also starting an investigation into the NO Saints Bounties.. Crazy Crazy. I noticed recently that the toilet paper I use has gotten thinner too and costs more. Maybe that should be investigated too.
 
Dear politicians,

We'd really love to give you all the information you request, but unfortunately our privacy policy requires a court order before we reveal any information pertaining to our users in any way.

Yours,

App developers.
 
This is ********.

Stop wasting our $. Again, go work on my privacy with the illegal and immoral CCRA, Consumer Credit Reporting Act.

Trigger leads FTW. selling your name, address, income, mortgage info, cell phone data- as soon as someone pulls your credit. Legal, and done everyday. Equifax is the biggest culprit in case anyone cares.

But, heh- lets go after some developers who are sharing grandmas recipe with other friends on facebook. This is where the real danger lies, who care about anyones credit, SSN, income, private banking info, or anything else-

This Government has F'd up priorities....
G d it
 
Silly peasants, only the government can trample your privacy.

Congress needs to step off, the industry is already taking care of the problem, as happens in a free market.

To reply to an earlier commenter, this is already a witch hunt based on these letters.
 
So what happens if they do not respond?
It's merely a request for information. They are not obligated to respond.

However, if they are sent a subpoena to appear in front of the committee, they are required to show up and can be held in contempt if they don't. Most folks don't want to piss off Congress so they cooperate if they haven't done anything wrong.

But call your lawyers!
To reply to an earlier commenter, this is already a witch hunt based on these letters.
Fishing expedition more than a witch hunt.
 
These members are in the minority in the house, so this has no teeth. It is a political manuver to try to get media attention that they are "raising the issue". Check me on this. See if the issue and the folks show up on MSNBC, Current TV (Al Gore channel), and other liberal outlets like national networks from ABC, CBS and NBC. Interestingly CNN has become more moderate in the last couple of years.

Also check New York Times and Los Angeles Times.

Rocketman
 
Kudos to Waxman

Hell has frozen over....a representative of the people who actually represents "the people".

Hope this is a trend....
 
Ah, while I am all for making sure app developers/software developers/companies are kept in check on what info they can collect about me, I hardly think this is really about that.

I bet it's more so that we focus on the app developers/companies vs. the government itself. Sure, the government can say they are watching the app developers, but who is watching the government?
 
I'm actually OK with this as long as it doesn't become a witch hunt. The way our privacy is being taken from us is nothing short of breathtaking.

The leading villain taking away our privacy is... drum roll please... Government!

It's merely a request for information. They are not obligated to respond.

Bingo! Correct answer!

Most folks don't want to piss off Congress so they cooperate if they haven't done anything wrong.

Bingo! Bad answer!

The old guilty until proven innocent mentality prevails. Sad. Which witch hunt you wanna go on?
 
While I agree with those posters above that there are many issues of crucial importance waiting to be addressed by Congress, I would suggest that the loss of personal privacy is an issue of great importance, at least to me.

The argument that privacy is already grossly compromised for anyone using a computer, smartphone, etc. is true, but that does not mitigate the need to pursue any and all means to limit further loss of privacy.

The cost of the letter was minimal. And if not some governmental branch to attempt some oversight, then who? Am I to trust private industry to protect my privacy?
 
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