Apple to Require Explicit Permission for iOS Apps Accessing Address Book Data
Just hours after a pair of U.S. Congressmen sent a letter to Apple requesting information on privacy practices, specifically as they relate to address book data being collected and stored by the apps' developers, Apple has issued a statement to AllThingsD indicating that the issue will be addressed in a forthcoming iOS software update.“Apps that collect or transmit a user’s contact data without their prior permission are in violation of our guidelines,” Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr told AllThingsD. “We’re working to make this even better for our customers, and as we have done with location services, any app wishing to access contact data will require explicit user approval in a future software release.”
Apple has been testing iOS 5.1 for some time, but appears to have slowed development as the company is assumed to be waiting to release it to the public alongside the iPad 3 early next month. The company has not, however, specified whether the new address book permission feature will be included as part of iOS 5.1 or if it will arrive in the form of a separate update, perhaps as an iOS 5.0.2 update to enable a faster turnaround on the fix.Top Rated Comments
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14 weeks ago
This is a good response from Apple, and yet another instance where Tim Cook is managing a potential PR issue a lot differently (and more effectively, IMO) than Steve Jobs. It's obvious from moves like this, to the non-announcement announcement at the Goldman Sachs call yesterday, that Tim Cook believes in a slightly more transparent Apple. It makes sense, and is good business.
14 weeks ago
Are you implying that iOS is lacking common sense? ;)
I might prefer iOS to Android, but I don't have any qualms with that implication. It's something that should have been done previously.
14 weeks ago
;) 
That's when I use the 3rd button (the round one below the display) to quit the app, then kill the app, then delete the app...
...after leaving a 1-star rating and review. Which is what we should all be doing to the Path app (et.al.)
14 weeks ago
1) I am an iPhone user.
2) I am an Android developer.
I've always liked the permissions for building application.The API just throws an exception (with proper information in the logs) if your app does not have the proper permission. This is really the developer's responsibility. There's even a permission to use the internet, so if it is not there, the app should not be able to contact the outside world.
Unfortunately, most users (AKA dumbasses) might see the permissions when they install the app and be clueless about them and click install anyways.
Though, I would like a reminder on first use, like, "This application is about to read your and profit massively from it. Although you clicked accept without reading the screen when installing, I'm reminding you just now. Now is the time to truly bailout. If you click YES now, then don't come crying, OK?".
And I think it should be a ongoing dialog between developers and project management on whether a permission needs to be added. But that's beyond the point. For example, if a feature requires the android.permission.HUMAN_SACRIFICE, then the developer should bring it up to make sure this is absolutely needed. After all, an app that asks for too many permissions would personally turn me off.
2) I am an Android developer.
I've always liked the permissions for building application.The API just throws an exception (with proper information in the logs) if your app does not have the proper permission. This is really the developer's responsibility. There's even a permission to use the internet, so if it is not there, the app should not be able to contact the outside world.
Unfortunately, most users (AKA dumbasses) might see the permissions when they install the app and be clueless about them and click install anyways.
Though, I would like a reminder on first use, like, "This application is about to read your and profit massively from it. Although you clicked accept without reading the screen when installing, I'm reminding you just now. Now is the time to truly bailout. If you click YES now, then don't come crying, OK?".
And I think it should be a ongoing dialog between developers and project management on whether a permission needs to be added. But that's beyond the point. For example, if a feature requires the android.permission.HUMAN_SACRIFICE, then the developer should bring it up to make sure this is absolutely needed. After all, an app that asks for too many permissions would personally turn me off.
14 weeks ago
They can have my address books... I'm staying on 5.0.1 with my Jailbreak.
EDIT: I have nothing to hide, so I don't care if they get my addresses. I assume Apple has access to all my data anyways, and AT&T to anything I send OTA.
I hope all your contacts feel the same way.
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