Since nobody here knows how the size of that fine was determined, it is of course speculation.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Path Reaches Settlement with FTC Over Address Book Privacy Concerns
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
800K in my opinion is too much. Itd probably kill the company, which would be bad for everyone.
According to Wikipedia, they initially raised $30 million and another $8.5 million a year later, with only 25 employees. Looks like they will still be in business after the fine.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Path_(social_network)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Path_(social_network)
I wasn't raised in the USA. Maybe that makes a difference. Where I come from, you don't keep your mouth shut when you see unethical or illegal behaviour.
Why are you so convinced this was done with malicious intent?
You sound like Nancy Grace spouting off on something with no facts or knowledge of the situation.
I don't know who Nancy Grace is, but with professional developers this kind of thing doesn't happen by accident. So there was intent.
Are you implying that the users who had their contacts uploaded and/or the kids younger than 13 who signed up are to blame?
FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz. "This settlement with Path shows that no matter what new technologies emerge, the agency will continue to safeguard the privacy of Americans."
Riiiiiight...
Data mining by huge companies like Google, Apple, Facebook and others excepted of course.
Riiiiiight...
Data mining by huge companies like Google, Apple, Facebook and others excepted of course.
Yes I noticed that when I read their blog post.Very strange.If that's all they have to say after getting caught red handed I think I'll stay away.
Edit:As others have noted crappy mac rumors reporting misled on the facts of the case.Doesn't change my attitude over the data theft though...
Last edited:
It's a shame that it was so misreported. Thank you for clarifying.
$800k seems like they're sending a message for sure. What message, I'm not sure.
Maybe the kiddie scripts you develop work like that but in the real world where people build enterprise software there are departments for things.
If I have a process, I built it as needed, assuming the necessary legal documentation has been done. If I sat and questioned each and every requirement, nothing would get done.
Leaving your insults aside: I don't query each and every requirement; but I would certainly query any requirement that is unethical and illegal. So where you work, that would mean nothing gets done?
Never mind. They were ordered to pay an $800,000 fine. If you had been the developer asked to implement this, the result would have been the same. If I had been the developer responsible, there wouldn't have been a fine, there wouldn't have been 20 years supervision, there wouldn't have been major embarressment, loss of customers, and complete destruction of the business relationship with Apple. The fine alone would have paid many years of my salary.
Last edited:
Read this, read the signature, looked at the avatar... Either it's Alex Jones or one of his followers.
----------
First of all, if what they did was worse than murder, they should be killed. But how is this worse than murder?
----------
"Early last year, the popular iOS app Path came under fire for uploading users' entire address books to company servers without alerting users or asking for authorization."
Once I read that, woah. I'm not so worried about my privacy but about all the people in my address book whose email addresses would probably be given out if I downloaded this retarded app.
But why am I the first to ask HOW Apple didn't notice this in the app review? Someone wasn't doing his job right.
----------
Google, Apple, and Facebook actually tell the users that what data they are taking, and it's anonymous. I've already gotten into this dumb argument with someone else, so I'll just end it before it starts: Your ISP knows every URL you've ever visited, every IP address you've ever connected to. Forget about Google.
----------
I think it's a service to everyone to kill dirtbag companies like these. They're everywhere. According to a user above, Path also spams their users. It's like Babylon Search, the company whose products are classified as malware by some. Search "Babylon Search", and you'll only get instructions on how to delete it and a Wikipedia article. Also Bonzi Buddy. Path is spyware like Bonzi Buddy.
----------
Who knows. He's a conspiracy theorist. For all you know, he might think Coca Cola and Pepsi are the same company.
They've been made an example of...
They needed the address book data to work out who to connect you with.
Apple never had an API that asked for access to that data and as far I remember, tons of developers were doing the same thing Path were doing.
Its just that Path got caught, maybe because they were slightly more famous than everyone else at that time.
I dont think they were being malicious at all but I think the potential to be was too great. Any company that accesses your data, be it google, path or FB has to have even higher standards of security and transparency than normal. It's the nature of the business.
And if any of those firms thinks its ok to disregard this they must understand that it only takes 1 really bad incident in any industry to turn everyone off the whole thing. Just like airlines or car companies, social data companies need to be self policing to keep that business alive.
They needed the address book data to work out who to connect you with.
Apple never had an API that asked for access to that data and as far I remember, tons of developers were doing the same thing Path were doing.
Its just that Path got caught, maybe because they were slightly more famous than everyone else at that time.
I dont think they were being malicious at all but I think the potential to be was too great. Any company that accesses your data, be it google, path or FB has to have even higher standards of security and transparency than normal. It's the nature of the business.
And if any of those firms thinks its ok to disregard this they must understand that it only takes 1 really bad incident in any industry to turn everyone off the whole thing. Just like airlines or car companies, social data companies need to be self policing to keep that business alive.
You're actually saying you would fire an employee for pointing out that you're asking them to violate a Federal law?