Senator Asks FTC to Look Into Android, Apple Privacy Breaches

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer has asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate reports that third-party applications running on both the Android and iOS platforms can pilfer smartphone owners' private photos and contacts and post them elsewhere online without the owner's consent. Several reports have surfaced in recent weeks concerning applications that are accessing smartphone contacts and photo albums unbeknownst to owners. "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," said Schumer. "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." Both Apple and Google have come under fire for the perceived privacy violations.