In iOS 6, Apps Will Ask Permission Before Accessing Private Details

[Maura]

MacRumors has been poking around in the iOS 6 beta release notes and found that Apple has introduced security safeguards regarding accessing a user’s private details, presumably as a result of the revelations earlier this year that certain apps, such as Path and LinkedIn, were uploading all the contents of users’ address books to their servers without giving a warning, or asking the user’s permission. Following on from two US Congressmen writing to Apple and questioning its data-gathering practices, it looks like Apple has taken the criticism on board, hence these new measures in iOS 6. Basically, from iOS 6 onwards, Apple has ensured that all apps will now get user permission to access Contacts, Calendars, Reminders, and Photos. This information, according to MacRumors, is in the “Data Privacy” section of the iOS 6 release notes, which are instructing developers as to what they must do when preparing their apps for the App Store. In particular, the release notes say the following:

“For contact, calendar, and reminder data, your app needs to be prepared to be denied access to these items and to adjust its behavior accordingly. If the user has not yet been prompted to allow access, the returned structure is valid but contains no records.”

Source: Apple Requires User Permission Before Apps Can Access Personal Data in iOS 6 - Mac Rumors