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Some iOS Apps Sending an Alarming Amount of Data to Facebook and Most Users Are Unaware

HeartWatch app has updated their App Store description -

“Total Privacy.

Heartwatch has no user analytics tracking. No advertising plugins. No 3rd party code. No data upload.

Ask your “free" heart app if they can say the same.”

Need more developers to be blatantly clear about no data sharing.

Those that are concerned about privacy can then delete (or not buy/download) apps that don’t make this clear statement.

Developers who lie about privacy should face fines big enough to bankrupt them or prison.
 
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iGeneo said:
The article above (PDF) will show you that they did not provide a list
Click to expand...

The funny thing is I saw all these articles (starting with Lifehacker), some of which listed a few apps. I trust WSJ and Rupert Murdoch only slightly more than Zuckerberg et al. (at least Murdoch's empire is not coy about its agenda/biases), so I don't have a sub, but the article doesn't even have a list of the 11 out of 70 tested apps. I think Lifehacker did a favor of bulleting out the five or so mentioned.

What even is the value of "We tested 70 apps for communication with Facebook and found 11 are sending data. But we're not going to tell you which ones except for a few."?

Seems like shoddy, lazy writing you can't even really call "journalism."

But I'm not surprised, coming from WSJ/News Corp.
 
AppleScruff1 said:
M


My PC didn’t take out a billboard add bragging about privacy.
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That’s still besides the point. Facebook is misusing your data not Apple. Facebook technically isn’t on the iPhone, you are getting a portal into Facebook. But this is the flip side of trying to catch Apple on the billboard advertisement, depending on what spin is applied can be true or false.
 
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Heineken said:
As far as I’m concerned Facebook should be kicked from the App Store. Any dumb **** in dying need can install that garbage with enterprise certificate.
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They won't do it because it gives Apple money.
Money > Profits > Privacy
 
I7guy said:
That’s still besides the point. Facebook is misusing your data not Apple. Facebook technically isn’t on the iPhone, you are getting a portal into Facebook. But this is the flip side of trying to catch Apple on the billboard advertisement, depending on what spin is applied can be true or false.
Click to expand...

Unreal.
 
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Michael Goff said:
What happens on your iPhone stays on Facebook's servers.
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And Android phones. Because really what third-party apps send to Facebook stays on the FB's servers.

In fairness, the copy being run by blog sites should probably have been "Some Apps Send Alarming Amount of Data to Facebook." Because this is more the fault of the apps that are doing it than it is anything to do with iOS or Apple.
 
willentrekin said:
And Android phones. Because really what third-party apps send to Facebook stays on the FB's servers.

In fairness, the copy being run by blog sites should probably have been "Some Apps Send Alarming Amount of Data to Facebook." Because this is more the fault of the apps that are doing it than it is anything to do with iOS or Apple.
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It's Apple's fault for not removing a App with previous security and privacy track records.
 
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willentrekin said:
And Android phones. Because really what third-party apps send to Facebook stays on the FB's servers.

In fairness, the copy being run by blog sites should probably have been "Some Apps Send Alarming Amount of Data to Facebook." Because this is more the fault of the apps that are doing it than it is anything to do with iOS or Apple.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but nobody buys an Android phone and assumes they're not being tracked.
 
ericwn said:
How does Apple get money from Facebook? Isn’t the app free?
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Two ways, first the developer account fee.
Second users buy smartphones to use social media, Facebook and Instagram being the most used one, if people buy an iPhone for example that's money for Apple's coffers. If Apple removes the App most would probably change platform which means Apple loses money, and they can't afford to do that. :cool:
 
1050792 said:
Two ways, first the developer account fee.
Second users buy smartphones to use social media, Facebook and Instagram being the most used one, if people buy an iPhone for example that's money for Apple's coffers. If Apple removes the App most would probably change platform which means Apple loses money, and they can't afford to do that. :cool:
Click to expand...

Got you, although that’s more of an indirect revenue stream and a bit harder to measure, but would surely have an impact. Thanks for elaborating!
 
1050792 said:
Two ways, first the developer account fee.
Second users buy smartphones to use social media, Facebook and Instagram being the most used one, if people buy an iPhone for example that's money for Apple's coffers. If Apple removes the App most would probably change platform which means Apple loses money, and they can't afford to do that. :cool:
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You think people buy iPhones for Facebook? Why don’t they buy a Samsung instead then? Facebook is on everything. Also I’m sure apple can lose Facebook dev account money no problem. The problem would be if they have some dark deal with Facebook. That would be major ****up.
[doublepost=1550948680][/doublepost]This whole thing is just a tip of an iceberg.
 
Heineken said:
You think people buy iPhones for Facebook? Why don’t they buy a Samsung instead then? Facebook is on everything. Also I’m sure apple can lose Facebook dev account money no problem. The problem would be if they have some dark deal with Facebook. That would be major ****up.
[doublepost=1550948680][/doublepost]This whole thing is just a tip of an iceberg.
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You either didn't understand what I meant, didn't read or are not aware of the general usage of a smartphone nowadays. Not gonna feed this further.
[doublepost=1550950538][/doublepost]
ericwn said:
Got you, although that’s more of an indirect revenue stream and a bit harder to measure, but would surely have an impact. Thanks for elaborating!
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If you see by the sales it's a huge impact, this is why despite Apple's marketing about "privacy" they still have Google as their default browser on all iOS devices, in fact they just renewed the contract with Google for $11 billion. There's a reason the default browser on Macs is apple.com, those aren't a huge profit margin for Apple.
 
1050792 said:
You either didn't understand what I meant, didn't read or are not aware of the general usage of a smartphone nowadays. Not gonna feed this further.
[doublepost=1550950538][/doublepost]
If you see by the sales it's a huge impact, this is why despite Apple's marketing about "privacy" they still have Google as their default browser on all iOS devices, in fact they just renewed the contract with Google for $11 billion. There's a reason the default browser on Macs is apple.com, those aren't a huge profit margin for Apple.
Click to expand...
Feed what further? People can install facebook on an iPhone, sure, saying that Apple would lose any meaningful number of in iPhone sales because there is no facebook for iPhone is a stretch of unimaginable proportions.
 
Heineken said:
Feed what further? People can install facebook on an iPhone, sure, saying that Apple would lose any meaningful number of in iPhone sales because there is no facebook for iPhone is a stretch of unimaginable proportions.
Click to expand...
Sure, alright have it your way. Not gonna even comment.
 
Heineken said:
Feed what further? People can install facebook on an iPhone, sure, saying that Apple would lose any meaningful number of in iPhone sales because there is no facebook for iPhone is a stretch of unimaginable proportions.
Click to expand...

If the iPhone lacked Facebook, they'd lose more sales than I think you're willing to admit.
 
1050792 said:
...
If you see by the sales it's a huge impact, this is why despite Apple's marketing about "privacy" they still have Google as their default browser on all iOS devices, in fact they just renewed the contract with Google for $11 billion. There's a reason the default browser on Macs is apple.com, those aren't a huge profit margin for Apple.
Click to expand...
Apple’s stance on privacy does not preclude or is not counter to default search engine deals for 11B.
 
I7guy said:
Apple’s stance on privacy does not preclude or is not counter to default search engine deals for 11B.
Click to expand...

Exactly. That's cash money, they're not going to turn down that much cash just because they think Google is bad for privacy. Setting up things that automatically counter privacy isn't counter to their stance on privacy.
 
Last edited:
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Everyone freaking about this needs to chill. You need to realize there’s not a lot you can do to stop this. Sure you can attempt to “block” apps like Facebook out of your lives but it doesn’t work that way, they have profiles on people that have never even used the service (aka shadow accounts). If you have used them, it’s too late, you’ve signed your life over already. They know more about you then you know about yourself.

Data....that’s real power. More valuable than any currency. I’m not sure the original intent of Facebook was to become a harvesting machine but it sure did end up that way. Before the Internet became a thing, privacy was a sacred right. The world was different back then. Companies would have to consent with the end user for ANY information they collected. But Facebook and Google and the like don’t even need to bother, people just willingly hand it over nowadays no questions asked. The Patriot Act possibly played a role in this. Before 9/11, privacy was a valued commodity. When legislation changed, people were hesitant at first but then the old “if you’re not doing anything wrong then you have nothing to hide” saying came into play. Time would eventually show that more and more, people started to forget or value their privacy, all the way to the point that always-on cameras, speakers that listen and home assistants are now prized companions. These companies are falling over themselves how easy it was to get people to give them money for the privilege of data mining them.

We’re too far in now. The only way to rid yourself completely is to leave the online world completely. Tear the cameras, WiFi chips and speakers out of your smartphones and everything else. Delete your accounts on every website you’ve visited and go dark. Even still, Facebook et al will follow you. They’ll pick up on you from your friend’s devices. So you’ll need to destroy their stuff as well.

Not willing to do that? Then chill.
 
cwwilson said:
Everyone freaking about this needs to chill. You need to realize there’s not a lot you can do to stop this.
Click to expand...

Perhaps not much to stop, but there are a couple of serious problems with this, one of which is the transparency. Were people using those apps aware the apps were sharing data with FB? Was Apple? Heck, was Facebook?

I agree there's not much to be done to stop the sharing, but transparency would be a good step in the right direction.
 
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