Apple: Apps Can't View Contacts Without Permission

Last week, it was reported that several iOS applications were collecting users' personal contact information without asking for permission. Among the culprits mentioned was the Path app, a platform for sharing status updates across social networks.

Yesterday (Feb. 15), Apple finally addressed those claims, telling the tech blog All Things D that, "Apps that collect or transmit a user's contact data without their prior permission are in violation of our guidelines."

The company also said that going forward, apps would need to explicitly ask for permission before they could collect information about a users' contacts.

Lawmakers, including U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), issued an open letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook just hours before the company responded yesterday.

An iOS update that requires all apps to ask for permission before viewing your contacts should be on the way soon.

via All Things D

This story was provided by Laptopmag.com, a sister site to SecurityNewsDaily.