PCMag.Com - Sen. Charles Schumer is once again turning the spotlight on privacy, and this time the subject is Apple and Android phones.
The senator’s office on Sunday called on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate reports that some apps on iPhones and Android handsets allow your entire photo library to be uploaded without your knowledge.
In the statement, Schumer said, “When someone takes a private photo, on a private cell phone, it should remain just that: private… Smartphone developers have an obligation to protect the private content of their users and not allow them to be veritable treasure troves of private, personal information that can then be uploaded and distributed without the consumer’s consent.”
“It is my understanding that many of these uses violate the terms of service of the Apple and Android platforms through which the apps are marketed and sold,” Schumer continued. “However, it is not clear whether or how those terms of service are being enforced and monitored… I hope you will consider launching a comprehensive investigation to explicitly determine whether copying or distributing personal information from smart phones, without a user’s consent, constitutes an unfair or deceptive trade practice.”
In recent weeks, the issue of smartphones secretly uploading your address book or photos has been a hot topic in tech circles, prompting Apple to promise a fix in an upcoming version of iOS.
“While they are telling you what movies are playing nearby they are also going through your files and using it for other purpose,” Schumer alleged. “It sends shivers up the spine to think that one’s personal photos, address books and who knows what else can be obtained and even posted online with the consumer’s consent.” More
