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Hipster (like Path) uploads your address book emails to its servers

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Re: Hipster (like Path) uploads your address book emails to its servers

#61

Post by FourSquareToo »

bryne wrote: post #39
FourSquareToo wrote: post #28

FourSquare Too. Here was their response to my complaint. Subject: Do you store my contacts? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ✆ via gmail.com 17/07/2011 to privacy Hi. I recently downloaded the Android Foursquare application. It automatically started scanning the contacts on my phone. Questions: 1. Does the application upload my contact…

I think they answered your question pretty thoroughly and promptly, despite your intense neckbearding. Certainly more thoroughly than the Path guys.

If more of us were prepared to complain about this stuff, none of us would have to complain about this stuff.

Re: Hipster (like Path) uploads your address book emails to its servers

#62

Post by Flenser »

bri3d wrote: post #14

I wrote a little MobileSubstrate (Jailbroken iPhone) shim to intercept the most common API used to access this data, block its use, and alert the user when it's happening. https://github.com/bri3d/AddressBookPrivacy/downloads It should be available in the BigBoss repository as "Address Book Privacy" sometime tomorrow. My tweak catches and displays the use of address book data as it happens, and based on my observatio…

I think the Hipster version of address book theft is a lot less egregious than the Path one.

At least Path did it over https. There's no excuse for sending private information over http.

Re: Hipster (like Path) uploads your address book emails to its servers

#63

Post by jacobolus »

mahmud wrote: post #56
bryne wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think they answered your question pretty thoroughly and promptly, despite your intense neckbearding. Certainly more thoroughly than the Path guys.

Stop being such a zuck[1], calling security-consciouness "neckbearding". [1] A zuck: someone who, due to a combination of ignorance and malice, is dismissive of others' efforts to improve their security and protect their privacy.

I believe the “neckbearding” referred to berating this poor support staffer for his/her lack of technical expertise. The guy/gal was pretty clearly doing the best he/she could, and the responses from the “security conscious” user could have conveyed the same message with a lot less condescension.

Re: Hipster (like Path) uploads your address book emails to its servers

#64

Post by dnlhoust »

Drbble wrote: post #55
FourSquareToo wrote: post #28

FourSquare Too. Here was their response to my complaint. Subject: Do you store my contacts? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ✆ via gmail.com 17/07/2011 to privacy Hi. I recently downloaded the Android Foursquare application. It automatically started scanning the contacts on my phone. Questions: 1. Does the application upload my contact…

" Furthermore, your tone and wilfully ignoring my legitimate complaint is annoying. " It is standard customer service industry faux-friendliness/faux-compassion. It is infuriating but I guess it works on the idiot majority of customers because most companies talk this way

What a horribly pessimistic view. It's clear that they were working hard to help, what's your reasoning for thinking like that?

Re: Hipster (like Path) uploads your address book emails to its servers

#65

Post by oldstrangers »

bryne wrote: post #39
FourSquareToo wrote: post #28

FourSquare Too. Here was their response to my complaint. Subject: Do you store my contacts? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ✆ via gmail.com 17/07/2011 to privacy Hi. I recently downloaded the Android Foursquare application. It automatically started scanning the contacts on my phone. Questions: 1. Does the application upload my contact…

I think they answered your question pretty thoroughly and promptly, despite your intense neckbearding. Certainly more thoroughly than the Path guys.

Yeah I failed to see the problem with his complaint. He complained, they responded, and responded, and even responded unprovoked.

"Do you store my contacts" .. "no." "Ok, uh, I don't like your tone. Please respond to this new issue."

I don't think this person understands that he doesn't actually have a complaint with foursquare.

Re: Hipster (like Path) uploads your address book emails to its servers

#66

Post by jnye131 »

This isn't new or surprising. Working as an iPhone contractor you get asked to do this sort of stuff all the time. Companies that give something away for free want your data. Simple.

If someone was going to audit all the popular social apps in the app store I'm sure that the vast majority would behave in exactly the same way.

Re: Hipster (like Path) uploads your address book emails to its servers

#67

Post by alastairpat »

Greenisus wrote: post #7

As an iOS developer, I've been surprised all along that the SDK gives you full access to the address book without asking for permission (like Core Location and the Apple Push Notification Service). I've always thought that would one day change, and I suspect that posts like this and the one about Path will make that happen.

The problem is that making a change like requiring authorisation (à la Core Location) for Address Book would cause backwards compatibility hell.

Re: Hipster (like Path) uploads your address book emails to its servers

#68

Post by mihaifm »

teej wrote: post #12
splrb wrote: post #5

Thank goodness Apple is scrutinizing all these apps. I definitely like my walled garden well curated.

Surprise! Apple doesn't give a shit that this is happening. If they didn't want developers to have the data, they wouldn't have made the API public. Apple even touts this as a feature in their public-facing developer site! Quote from https://developer.apple.com/technologies/ios/data-management... "iOS apps even have access to a device’s global data such as contacts in the Address Book, and photos in the Photo Library…

This seems like a serious policy 'bug' indeed. The app developers have their part of the fault, but if someone just gives you free stuff, why not just take it.

Re: Hipster (like Path) uploads your address book emails to its servers

#69

Post by LaGrange »

jazzychad wrote: post #10

Surprise! Likewise, Instagram uploads your contact list to their servers (phone numbers, names, emails) to help find friends (confirmed with mitmproxy as well). At least you have to click "Find from my contact list" first. This practice is super-common. The last ordeal around this was a year or so ago with Kik, but then everyone stopped caring. At least Instagram is over https.

Uh, if they do it after clicking "Find from my contact list", this is totally different, that's opt-in. I do think it should be possible to opt-out from being findable this way, but that's a separate, if related issue.

Re: Hipster (like Path) uploads your address book emails to its servers

#70

Post by Devilboy »

mahmud wrote: post #56
bryne wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think they answered your question pretty thoroughly and promptly, despite your intense neckbearding. Certainly more thoroughly than the Path guys.

Stop being such a zuck[1], calling security-consciouness "neckbearding". [1] A zuck: someone who, due to a combination of ignorance and malice, is dismissive of others' efforts to improve their security and protect their privacy.

OK seriously that was some of the best support responses to a customer complaint I've read in a LONG time. The support person was super friendly, spoke to several devs internally to get a good resolution, and really tried their best to help this annoyingly persistent customer with their complaint. Calling them names is totally uncalled for here in my view.
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