Apple iOS developers: We'll adjust to privacy change
Facebook app users won't see any change because a dialog box makes it clear that user's data may be shared, the company says. Twitter is reportedly planning to update its app to make it clear when users click "Find Friends" that their address book is being downloaded. Meanwhile, Foursquare just updated its iOS app to include this warning when people want to add friends: "To find your friends, we send your address book information to our servers. Don't worry, it's sent securely and we don't store it!"A Foursquare spokesperson said the company had no comment on the Apple announcement.May suggested that a good practice for apps that do grab user data is to obscure the data using a hash method so that anyone snooping on a Wi-Fi network wouldn't be able to see it. But Apple wouldn't necessarily be able to police that even if it were required. And the Apple policy change only goes so far in protecting users from unscrupulous app developers who might try to sell the data to advertisers in that as long as permission is granted the data can be accessed, even if it is not needed for the purposes of the app. "Users should question why does the app want the data and what is it going to do with it," said Libin of Evernote. "That distinction won't get adequately communicated just by saying 'yes' or 'no.' ... Eventually, the industry will have to grapple with this issue of intent." CNET's Daniel Terdiman, Paul Sloan and Roger Cheng contributed to this report.
