Thanks for your note. I was surprised that nobody made any comment since this app was rated so highly in many reviews prior to its disappearance. I'd hoped that someone from Apple (AppStore) would explain why, after the author made changes to the app, it still hasn't been reinstated.
There was a report in the British Press quite recently of an iPhone user who recovered his stolen phone purely as a result of the app in question.
This is what Daniel Amitay, the app developer, said in June 2011:-
"Got a call from Apple last night regarding the removal of Big Brother from the App Store. Apparently, Apple believed that I was surreptitiously harvesting user passwords. I have sent in a new update without the analytics in question, as well as appealing on the grounds that:
- Data in question was specific to my app, and not the iPhone.
- Data in question was anonymous and had no identifying markers.
- Data in question was for the purpose of improving effectiveness of future updates.
If users are choosing 1234 as their passcodes in mass, then my app by extension becomes less effective. This anonymous data helps me improve future versions."
The bold emphasis is mine. It would appear that there is no remaining reason to exclude the app from the store! I know the developer has tried every route he can think of to get a sensible answer from Apple without success. The result appears to be that one of the most talented app developers is giving up and moving on to some other area of software development. This is a great loss to iPhone users and makes no sense to exclude a really valuable and effective app, especially when there is so much dross included in the App Store.
I'd be interested to read any comments from people who did have the app before it was removed. There is, unfortunately, no other app that comes close to the functionality of Big Brother camera security.
Ken Wheeler
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