Apple has pulled 250 iOS apps from iTunes due to concerns over their collection of users’ personal data.
The root of the issue lies in the SDK (software development kit) used by the app developers. Called Youmi, the SDK included code that secretly collected private information like email addresses and uploaded it external servers. It’s possible that most or even all of the app developers weren’t aware of Youmi’s capabilities, but in any case Apple now says that its data collection “is a violation of our security and privacy guidelines,” and has shut down the distribution of any apps containing Youmi code.
Youmi’s data collection first came to light in a Purdue University study published in mid-October, whose findings were then validated by research firm SourceDNA this past weekend. So Apple has acted pretty quickly and decisively to resolve the issue.
That speaks to Apple’s commitment to user privacy, an attitude that the company’s CEO was keen to highlight in a recent interview, and one that will likely spread throughout the tech industry as more and more sensitive user data moves onto mobile devices and through the Internet of Things. In the same vein, Google has just announced its Android Marshmallow OS requirements for developers, and those feature a strong focus on advanced security measures as well.
Source: The Guardian
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