LinkedIn Says iOS App Reading Clipboard With Every Keystroke is a Bug, Fix Coming

[mutumguda]

This is pretty alarming.
1. why would all this companies (apps) want or need to do that in first place?
2. why would Apple allow this kind of behaviour and say that they believe that privacy is a fundamental human right?
3. why are the users asked to read through extensive privacy terms and accept them and still end up having this type of "bugs"? (BTW, @linkedin... just say "sorry" and don't insult the intelligence your users just like that. Shame on you!).
Is this how THEY build trust from us, the users? By listening to all we say, look at all we do, accessing our clipboards and who knows what else they look into?
@Apple: if you know about this behaviours, in line with your statement about privacy = fundamental human right, just kill apps that infringe your principles.

I will now copy-and-paste "privacy is a fundamental human right" for a while, see what happens...
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An "equality check." Uh huh

I will now copy-and-paste "privacy is a fundamental human right" for a while, see what happens...

 

[B4U]

And it could very well be petty much just what they said it is.

If that is really the case, then they are very unlucky since the other apps were caught now.
It is similar to the following scenario:
"Officer, I just happened to be passing by the scene when the crime occurred. I am innocent and not involved."
They are innocent until proven guilty, but are still considered as suspects.

 

[mymacrumorsname]

if (Key.Pressed == Keys.Any) {
var hopefullyNiceUserContent = Clipboard.Read()
SendToServer(hopefullyNiceUserContent);
}

Sure, it's a bug.

 

[PutTheFBackIn]

“It’s a bug” is the new “I got hacked”.

 

[aandre]

Back in the day LinkedIn would try tricking customers into giving access to their email accounts by discreetly asking if they wanted to add contacts while it automatically filled out fields with registered email and password. They hoped users would have the same password on LinkedIn and email accounts. The page looked pretty much like the usual LinkedIn login page.

 

[mi7chy]

How convenient. Another company that has this identical 'bug'.

 

[macsba]

The point is, why does it ever need access to the clipboard?
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LinkedIn is the herpes of social media.

I thought facebook was the herpes of social media.

 

[mocciat]

It's always a bug when they get caught. Nobody at LinkIn could figure this out, What a poopstorm.

 

[Bandaman]

They could just apologize instead of sounding like morons. Thank you Apple for weeding these people out.

 

[arvinsim]

I don't understand why Apple allows this kind of app behavior

 

[NPC Compliant]

So many bugs. Ad tracking bugs, location tracking bugs. Bugs bugs bugs. Everywhere, bugs.

Their audacity to gaslight like this is amazing, but par for the course in today’s climate

 

[tranceking26]

They must think folk are stupid!

Glad I don’t use that site any more.

 

[4jasontv]

I thought facebook was the herpes of social media.

Facebook is the humandeficiency virus. Try permanently stoping LinkedIn emails.

 

[macsba]

Facebook is the humandeficiency virus. Try permanently stoping LinkedIn emails.

I'm not a member of both scums. But I'll take your word.

 

[jpn]

its actually not as cut and dried of a "issue" or "bug" as many people are posting.

this whole topic relates to a larger context that includes Continuity features such as Handoff.

access to Universal clipboard info (including what gets copied from yr macOS device and is made available to yr iOS device through Handoff) shows that there is a fine line between user convenience and apps allowed to run amok.

but i for one use as many of the built in apple features as possible to make my work routines faster and more convenient.
thanks to apple it looks like we will be able to at least get reminders of when info is being shared with what app.
but i certainly don't want this sharing of data just simply across the board prevented.
just inform me better about it.

related macrumors discussion:

Universal Clipboard

Continuity's Handoff feature of Universal Clipboard makes cut and paste of text between mac and iPhone very easy. i use it all the time and is one of the growing list of inter-device tools that apple has been making available. i have one iOS app that i frequently want to paste text into that...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[shaw03]

Well, compared to Tik Tok's post, none of the comments seems to be angry about 'spying'

 

[dwhittington]

This feature sure has uncovered a lot of "buggy" apps.

 

[Shirasaki]

while I agree with the sentiment of many people here, think a second. Which company do you ever trust? All of those mainstream apps are developed or managed by those mega corps. The best way to avoid all these is not using any device at all.
For the topic, is there any chance for Apple to tweak this feature or introduce multiple forms of clipboard in the future?

 

[Mac Rules]

There is no reason IOS should allow apps to read the clipboard without the user performing a cut, copy, or paste command. Period. Why was this behavior ever even made possible at all?

Absolutely agree.

But unless I am mistaken, the new iOS functionality only provides a UI confirmation that the action has occurred, it doesn't prevent the clipboard being pasted so in reality nothing has changed; only that the user is aware.

 

[Tucom]

Corporate edition of "Haha I was just kidding" cop-out damage control.

 

[4jasontv]

I'm not a member of both scums. But I'll take your word.

Regret. That’s all I can say. One stupid day in college I let a person I barely know convince me it would be good to swap contacts. Now, every few months I am reminded of that mistake. No antiviral or antispam can ever really get rid of it.

 

[Apple2GS]

App deleted.

 

[Zen_Arcade]

Makes me glad I’m not, in general, an app user. If I can’t do it in Safari, I’ll wait to get home.

 

[simply258]

There is no reason IOS should allow apps to read the clipboard without the user performing a cut, copy, or paste command. Period. Why was this behavior ever even made possible at all?

It find the feature handy. If I copy a package tracking number then open Deliveries app, it straight asks if I want to add it. Or if I copy a website link and open Chrome it shows the link you copied so it saves you time. The last one is probably related to iOS not allowing browsers to be default.

 

[MacBH928]

Now we know why they all nag you to use the app instead of the website because its "better" !

I am glad all those people who use those free services from toxic companies gets their privacy violated. I feel sorry for the hoards of people that are just not tech savvy to understand this kind of behaviour is possible. There should be laws to protect the public against this.

Abandon the data-collection model business, pay for your online apps and services just like you pay for electricity and water. Donate for open source software. It is we who made FB and Google worth so much.