Year: 2019

Apple tells iOS app developers to disclose or remove screen recording code, or face removal

CompuScoop Staff February 8, 2019 0

“Apple is telling app developers to remove or properly disclose their use of analytics code that allows them to record how a user interacts with their iPhone apps — or face removal from the app store, TechCrunch can confirm,” Zack Whittaker reports for TechCrunch. “”

“In an email, an Apple spokesperson said: ‘Protecting user privacy is paramount in the Apple ecosystem. Our App Store Review Guidelines require that apps request explicit user consent and provide a clear visual indication when recording, logging, or otherwise making a record of user activity,'” Whittaker reports. “‘We have notified the developers that are in violation of these strict privacy terms and guidelines, and will take immediate action if necessary,’ the spokesperson added.”

“It follows an investigation by TechCrunch that revealed major companies, like Expedia, Hollister and Hotels.com, were using a third-party analytics tool to record every tap and swipe inside the app. We found that none of the apps we tested asked the user for permission, and none of the companies said in their privacy policies that they were recording a user’s app activity,” Whittaker reports. “Apple expressly forbids apps that covertly collect data without a user’s permission.”

Read more in the full article here.

NOW AVAILABLE: Apple’s FaceTime Bug Fix is available NOW!

Dan Uff February 7, 2019 0

We just got a report that iOS 12.1.4, which will fix the FaceTime bug that was reported last week, ~~will be available sometime today.~~ IS NOW AVAILABLE.

PSSST….Amazon is having sales on the newest iPad Pros!

Dan Uff February 7, 2019 0

Amazon.com is having sales on the newest iPad Pros (128 and 256) by as much as $150.00 off!

To see the savings, click here.

Popular iOS Apps found to be recording user’s screens / sometimes exposing private data

CompuScoop Staff February 7, 2019 0

An investigation by TechCrunch.com revealed that some iPhone apps are using services to record user's screens from companies like Glassbox which claim to be a “customer experience analytics firm” to track user's experiences when inside an app.

Glassbox is one of the so-called analytics firms that employ “session replay technology.” This allows developers to record displays and review how users interacted with their app. “Every tap, button push, and keyboard entry is recorded,” TechCrunch says.

These session replays let app developers record the screen and play them back to see how its users interacted with the app to figure out if something didn’t work or if there was an error. Every tap, button push and keyboard entry is recorded — effectively screenshotted — and sent back to the app developers.

In a recent tweet, Glassbox said: “Imagine if your website or mobile app could see exactly what your customers do in real time, and why they did it?”

Further, The App Analyst recently discovered that the Air Canada iPhone app doesn’t properly mask session replays. This means sensitive information like passport numbers and credit card information is easily viewable to Air Canada employees. While this isn’t the case for all of the apps, Air Canada recently suffered a data breach affecting 20,000 user profiles, which doesn’t bode well for its security practices.

In some cases, apps send session replay data directly back to Glassbox servers, while some companies send it back to their own servers. In both cases, some data was found unmasked and easily accessible with man-in-the-middle tools:

To read the rest of the 9to5Mac article, click here.