That social networks contain a large amount of private datais pretty obvious. The point is that this data may not always be as protected and hidden as it should Depending on the digital medium VentureBeat , the most famous social networks with applications fordevices Apple are spying on users' calendar information Although they coulddon't be the only ones
This is a fairly common activity, and the fact is that collecting this data is very useful for the different networks match accounts and names In this way, functions such as friend suggestions are developed, being able to offer contact with peopleacquaintances of the user to add them as friends or follow them A very useful question for a user to continue using a social network or a service, and that the developers of this type of applications know well. However, this system carries certain risks that jeopardize privacy and data security
The latest version of the Path social network, known for being an intimate social network with a limit of 150 friends, caused a stir after learning that gathered all the information from the contact list of the iPhone (name, phone number, and even email address) without user permissionFor this reason, with its latest update a notification message has been added to notify the user of this practice.
This information generally travels over Internet from smartphones to servers of these services, where the data are collated and, on some occasions, they are stored, presumably temporary Some of the social networks have stated not to save this data, let alone sell it Offering you a vote of confidence, you have to think that the storage and treatment of this data is the one discussed in the privacy terms of each social network, however, no one guarantees that their servers will not suffer an external attack , or that intercept the information while it is being sent between the terminal and the servers of each company.In the latter case, some services offer a type of encryption, but easily recognizable (As seen in the image).
From the medium that makes this situation public, they also analyze the different most important social networks of the moment, being able to know how they act with these data and showing its weaknesses. Thus, the performance of Foodspotting is criticized, qualifying it as the worst in data transmission , since it sends user's private information without any kind of encryption through Internet , showing in readable and understandable text all the data collected from the user's terminal agenda
For its part, Facebook collects all this data and stores it But unlike the old versions of Path, the social network of Mark Zuckerberg displays , explicitly, a message requesting the user's permission to create the aforementioned friend suggestions. Meanwhile, Twitter stores this information without notifying the user in the application for mobile However, it does make it known through its web version, where it is specified that the information remains stored on their servers for 18 months, always with the aim of enriching the function Who to follow
The geolocation social network is also analyzed Foursquare, which has recently been updated by adding a notification clear of what they do with the information: To find your friends we send the information of your calendar to our servers.Don't worry, the shipment is safe and we don't store it Similarly, Instagram has inserted a warning message for the user to allow or not this practice Something very useful so that "the user understands 100% what is happening”, according to its creator, Kevin Systrom
But there are possible solutions to avoid the transfer of this private information The same website that launches this information collects Impressions from various developers proposing an alternative. This is the Hash system, a kind of representations of the phonebook data that is can match in the same way to offer contacts to follow or add as friends, but who cannot be deciphered , and therefore protects the privacy of users.
And what does Apple think of all this? It seems that the Cupertino company is not too concerned about this issue, even more so when its application creation program allows these intrusions to be carried out without any problem. Something that perhaps should be reconsidered to prevent cases such as those of the Path social network, and in order to protect to users, and not just the sales of their terminals.
