Privacy

Senator asks FTC to investigate Apple over privacy concerns

Cody Lee ∙ March 5, 2012

Apple has recently come under heavy fire over its privacy policies. Earlier this year it was discovered that third-party iOS apps could access a user's address book without their consent. And recent reports that photo albums are subject to similar unauthorized access have added fuel to the flames.

Now it looks likes folks are so worried about the problem, that they've asked the Federal Trade Commission to get involved. ArsTechnica is reporting that New York Senator Charles Schumer is urging the FTC to look into Apple's widely-documented user privacy concerns...

Is Facebook reading your text messages? [update: no]

Jake Smith ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Adding to the recent privacy scare that has been taking place among iOS apps, London-based newspaper Sunday Times is reporting that popular social network Facebook has read users' text messages.

In the report, Sunday Times says that when Facebook was gearing up to launch their new Messenger app, they "admitted" to reading text messages. Facebook's Messenger app plays a similar role to texting, letting you quickly fire off messages to your Facebook friends. It's not known if the issue still continues, but is scary nonetheless...

Apple agrees to new standards requiring developers to share their app’s privacy policy

Jake Smith ∙ February 22, 2012

Apple and five other companies agreed today to new standards for showing users the privacy policies associated with apps offered in their app stores. The new agreement will improve privacy protection for customers around the world.

Spotted by MacRumors, California's Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced the news in a press release, today...

US lawmakers want to look into Google’s iPhone tracking fiasco

Sébastien Page ∙ February 20, 2012

Last week Google was caught overriding Safari users' privacy settings, and now US lawmakers want the Federal Trade Commission to probe the company over it, as reported by Computer World:

Three lawmakers from the U.S. House of Representatives have asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether last week's report of privacy violations of Safari users by Google violated a consent agreement the company had reached with the FTC last year.

Google's alleged circumvention of do-not-track controls on Apple's Safari browser could have a wide sweeping impact because Safari is a major web browser used by millions of Americans, according to a letter to the FTC on Friday from Republican Representatives Cliff Stearns of Florida and Joe Barton of Texas, and Democrat Edward Markey of Massachusetts.

That's definitely something we'll be following.

Google caught overriding Safari users’ privacy settings

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 18, 2018

User privacy has been a hot button issue over the past few months thanks to high profile scandals like the CarrierIQ fallout, and the more recent Path debacle. And now it looks like we can add Google to the list of violators.

In a recent investigative report, The Wall Street Journal claims that the search giant has been intentionally overriding the privacy settings of both desktop and iOS Safari users to better track their web browsing activity...

Apple Accused of Providing Backdoor iOS Access to Indian Military

Cody Lee ∙ January 8, 2012

ZDNet has just published an interesting report claiming that Apple, along with both RIM and Nokia, has built in backdoor iOS access for the Indian Military, leaving text messages, voice calls, and data trails completely exposed.

As you can imagine, after the recent CarrierIQ scandal, this information is making some waves around the internet. And what's even worse, it sounds like the hidden trapdoor has been used in some not-so-kosher situations...

Apple Listed in Carrier IQ Class Action Lawsuit

Cody Lee ∙ December 5, 2011

We all saw this coming. BGR is reporting that multiple law firms from the north eastern region of the United States have just filed class action lawsuits against Apple and several other manufacturers and wireless carriers due to their part in the Carrier IQ scandal.

Carrier IQ's IQRD app comes pre-installed on millions of handsets each year, and was recently exposed for secretly collecting private user data. The software is hidden within mobile operating systems and never asks for a user's permission to collect their information.

Carrier IQ’s Creepy User-Tracking Software Found in iOS, Here’s How to Turn it Off

Cody Lee ∙ Updated December 28, 2016

Over the last couple of days, there has been a lot of talk around the web regarding Carrier IQ. The company makes user-tracking software for Android, BlackBerry, and Symbian handsets that secretly logs keystrokes, text messages, and other data.

Initially, the program was thought to be exclusive to the above-mentioned operating systems, so we didn't feel the need to report on it. But chpwn, a well-known developer of jailbreak apps, has recently found Carrier IQ's software hidden within iOS...

HiddenCalllog: Keep Prying Eyes Out of Your Call History

Jeff Benjamin ∙ September 3, 2011

Want to keep nosey people out of your call history? Then this simple, yet effective jailbreak tweak entitled HiddenCalllog, might be just what the doctor ordered.

HiddenCalllog makes it easy to quickly disguise yourself as one who has absolutely no friends that care to call you, ever.

Great for keeping nosey folks out of your call log, perhaps not so great in various other situations...

Another Apple Patent Keeps Your iPhone Screen Private

Oliver Haslam ∙ August 27, 2011

It's been a big week in Apple news. We've had a resignation, a new CEO, and plenty of other tidbits to come out of Cupertino. Now we have another patent application to add to the proceedings.

The patent in question relates to a possible method of “Obfuscating the Display of Information and Removing the Obfuscation Using a Filter. That's a mouthful by anyone's standards...

Apple Testifies at Mobile Privacy Hearing

Cody Lee ∙ May 10, 2011

Ever since the location bug was revealed in iOS, mobile privacy has been garnering a lot of attention. So much attention in fact, that Apple has been called to participate in a U.S. Senate panel discussion on the topic, courtesy of Al Franken.

If you haven't heard by now, Apple vice president Bud Tribble was sent by the Cupertino company to the hearing to set the record straight about location tracking in iOS. Not only has Apple corrected the location bug, they are apparently taking further steps to protect their user's privacy...

Apple Releases iOS 4.3.3 (4.2.8 for Verizon iPhone)

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated January 22, 2016

Well, that was a wee bit quicker than we expected, but Apple has released iOS 4.3.3 to the public.

Although the update was initially said to be released sometime in the next few weeks (it was about a week ago when they stated this), it looks like Apple has finished testing and has opted to release iOS 4.3.3 ahead of schedule.

Why the rush to release such an minor update? It's just a sneaking suspicion, but it might have something to do with the bad press that Apple's been receiving as of late due to a certain location tracking bug...