U.S. senator asks FTC to probe Apple, Google

[IDemo]

Source: msnbc

NEW YORK — A U.S. senator has urged the Federal Trade Commission to investigate reports that applications on the Apple and Google mobile systems steal private photos and contacts and post them online without consent.

Democrat Charles Schumer's request comes after iPhone maker Apple tweaked its privacy policies last month after prodding from other lawmakers.

The distribution of third-party applications on iPhones and phones running on Google's Android system has helped create a surge in the popularity of those devices in recent years.

However, Schumer said on Sunday that he was concerned about a New York Times report that iPhone and Android applications can access a user's private photo collection.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46622066/ns/technology_and_science-security/#.T1Qs7PmjIn0

[seeviewonder]

1. I use the Android OS on my phone.

This certainly concerns me a little.

[ChromeFoundry]

2. "Do no evil."

Guess that does not apply any longer?

[Gore1FL]

3. If only Apple and Google could get the "ultrasound" treatment. n/t

[BadgerKid]

4. Just to point out: "Microsoft hires FTC attorney and public critic of Google"

Just caught this over at Slashdot:

March 1, 2012

Microsoft has hired a new Washington lobbyist--an FTC lawyer who has sharply criticized some of Google's acquisitions on antitrust grounds.

The software giant told the Wall Street Journal yesterday that it hired Randall Long, an official at the FTC's Bureau of Competition. When he joins the software giant at the end of the month, Long will head up Microsoft's regulatory affairs division in Washington.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-57388397-17/microsoft-hires-ftc-attorney-and-public-critic-of-goog

Something about seeing both stories together in a short time span strikes me as odd. It's as though Microsoft and the FTC are teaming up against Apple and Google for their successes from different angles at the same time. You know...kind of how the GOP operates.

[FLAprogressive]

8. well this is noted industry $$$ whore Chuck Schumer talking.

[onehandle]

5. Apple's 'leak' will be fixed in days. Google's policy of stealing your info is built into Google+.

The only way to be safe with Google is to not use their services.

'If you're not paying for the product, you are the product.'

This is how google works. They Sell You!

[ChromeFoundry]

6. Question....

Chuck Schumer knew about this before Apple did? Doubtful.
Apple will fix this only because it made the news and they don't like black-eyes. SAME goes for Google.

[onehandle]

9. Chuck Schumer knew this because a staffer handed him a piece of paper.

The Apple thing has been in tech news for a couple of weeks or so. It's a technical issue that will be fixed with a patch.

The Google thing is part of their business model of advertising to you and selling your info to the highest bidder.

Months ago, when it was found that there was some testing code left over in iOS, that could potentially enable someone to be tracked, Apple fixed it in a short time. The same type of code was found in Android. It took them a while to fix it, because unlike Apple they have multiple OSs on hundreds of different phones, that all need different patches.

Fragmentation and the fact that Google wants to track you, makes it difficult more difficult to convince people that their 'black-eyes' are fixable.

[Pholus]

10. Wow, what a compelling, nearly Biblical, mythology!

So, to summarize the "leak" it is approached by two sides:

On one side, a blameless pure-as-the-driven snow megacorporation.

On the other side, a corrupt, evil, antithesis of good megacorporation.

I haven't seen such a well-described binary state description of good vs. evil since....well to tell you the truth never because I haven't seen something like that out here in the real world -- but reaching for a comparison since I used to listen as a kid to Pat Robertson's interpreting the Bible.

Don't want you to faint but personally I can't tell one soulless megacorporation from the other without the program... To me it seems in this "debate" like one is Spaceley Sprockets and the other one is Cogswell Cogs. You're the product for BOTH of them, it's just the details of how exactly you get used that provide some differentiation.

As George Jetson realized, both suck but if your financial interests are with one, you have to back it as loud as you can or at least as long as the boss is looking...

[onehandle]

11. Nope. They are both to blame and should comply.

However, Apple has a code issue, easily fixable.

Google, has privacy issues as a part of their business model. The whole reason they combined and re-issued their TOS last week, was to get you to agree to being spied on in exchange for 'free' services.

Google cannot fix their problems without stopping the cash from coming in. Apple can, easily.

Also see #9.

[Pholus]

13. In that case, I agree wholeheartedly. Sorry about that!

It's getting to the point where you have to understand the code behind your browser if you want to NOT have this happen.

[ailsa wu]

7. good

This certainly concerns me a lot

[JackRiddler]

12. Distraction. Chipping around at the edges.

Everyone's seen the ads and Google has just had a big coming out party as your friendly big brother with the new unified "privacy" policy. (Apple is the next-closest octopus.) They track you through 60 different services and for many of these like search they've achieved near-monopoly status* -- thanks to the consumer, but that doesn't justify the surveillance profiles they now have on every user.

This is typical politician self-profiling by pointing to some peanuts violation (strictly alleged) instead of the elephant in the room. It's easy to come up with rules for some bullshit like this, very hard to figure out how to really protect privacy rights in this age when all sites track you on behalf of multiple entities and almost everyone has been trained to help (including to help track those who might be less willing to help themselves).

--

( * notwithstanding the joke "search" services offered by the higher profile competitors like MS, or the existence of genuine search alternatives.)