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Senator Asks FTC to Look Into Android, Apple Privacy Breaches

Mar 4, 2012, 8:31 PM by Eric M. Zeman

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer has asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate reports that third-party applications running on both the Android and iOS platforms can pilfer smartphone owners' private photos and contacts and post them elsewhere online without the owner's consent. Several reports have surfaced in recent weeks concerning applications that are accessing smartphone contacts and photo albums unbeknownst to owners. "These uses go well beyond what a reasonable user understands himself to be consenting to when he allows an app to access data on the phone for purposes of the app's functionality," said Schumer. "Smartphone makers should be required to put in place safety measures to ensure third party applications are not able to violate a user's personal privacy by stealing photographs or data that the user did not consciously decide to make public." Both Apple and Google have come under fire for the perceived privacy violations.

Reuters »

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Comments

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This forum is closed.

phatmanxxl

Mar 4, 2012, 8:43 PM

Dont understand....

Why someone would still download an app that has overwhelmingly one star ratings, many comments say malware or virus and then whine about it. I guess we do need the government to baby sit us in that aspect as well. 🙄

eskeebel

Well, the Google + app is probably one of them. You can turn off the instant upload, but your phone album still shows up in G+, showing the App is not releasing it's ties to the album...I know there was a pop up that says you can turn the feature off,...
(continues)

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