U.S. senator Charles Schumer has requested that the Federal Trade Commision investigate reports that applications on both iOS and Android platforms are able to steal private photos and contacts and export them to their servers – without the user’s consent. Schumer is concerned about a New York Times report that iOS and Android apps can obtain access to the user’s private photos and contacts.

The senator says that it’s his understanding that the uses in question violate the terms of service of both Apple and Google platforms. “These uses go well beyond what a reasonable user understands himself to be consenting to when he allows an app to access data on the phone for purposes of the app’s functionality,” Schumer said in a letter to the FTC. Schumer also suggests that “smartphone makers should be required to put in place safety measures to ensure third party applications are not able to violate a user’s personal privacy by stealing photographs or data that the user did not consciously decide to make public”, and that phone manufacturers have an obligation to protect the private content of their customers.

This is an interesting allegation, and it’s definitely a little worrisome. Whether or not this holds a severe case I’m sure we’ll find out in the coming days and weeks. It’s common sense that only what the application needs or what you consent to relinquish to the application should be accessed and used, and only according to how you agree for that content to be used.

source: reuters