Path Updated, Now Asks for Your Authorization to Use Your Contacts Data

Path was fast at updating their application, following yesterday’s outrage when it was discovered that the app – like many others – uploads you contacts data to their servers without your knowledge.

In a blog post on their blog today, Path CEO Dave Morin apologizes for the misstep and recognizes that the company should have known better.

Through the feedback we’ve received from all of you, we now understand that the way we had designed our ‘Add Friends’ feature was wrong. We are deeply sorry if you were uncomfortable with how our application used your phone contacts.

Path has been updated to version 2.0.6 and is now available in the App Store. According to Path’s blog, the app now prompts you to opt in or out of sharing your phone’s contacts with their servers in order to find your friends and family on Path.

If you accept and later decide you would like to revoke this access, you can always send them an email to service@path.com and they will promptly make sure all contacts information saved on their servers is deleted.

As I predicted yesterday, Path was fast at recognizing and fixing their mistake. Now to the other part of my prediction: every person who hated on Path yesterday will fully embrace the app again today, praising them for their fast response.

If you have already deleted Path, you can download the app’s latest version from the App Store for free. If you still have it on your iPhone, it should show an update available for it in the App Store app.

Earlier today, jailbreak developer Ryan Petrich released ContactPrivacy, a tweak on Cydia that warns you when applications are trying to share your contacts data.

[Thanks Elias]