Congress demands Apple clarify mobile privacy policy

Dissatisfied with the answers Apple provided earlier this month regarding iOS privacy practices, a Congressional committee has requested Apple send a representative to Capitol Hill to explain in person. Apple needed to provide more detailed information as to what the company is doing to protect user privacy on its mobile devices, Rep. Henry A. Waxman, ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and Rep. G.J. Butterfield, ranking member of Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, wrote in a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook on March 14. The House Committee on Energy and Commerce originally sent a letter to Apple February 15 asking about iOS privacy practices. The representatives said Cook's response on March 2 was insufficient. The letter was sent shortly after a system administrator discovered that social networking app "Path" was uploading information from users' address books to its servers without permission or knowledge from the user. Path, and other apps that behaved similarly, no longer take data without permission, and Apple updated the iOS developer guidelines to require apps to ask for permission first before accessing the addressbook on the device. Cook's five-page letter did "not answer a number of questions we raised about the company's efforts to protect the privacy and security of its mobile device users," Waxman and Butterfield wrote. The original letter asked whether "Apple's iOS developer policies and practices may fall short when it comes to protecting the information of iPhone users and their contacts." Apple claimed its guidelines tells developers to obtain permission for all sensitive data. On the compliance front, a team of employees randomly audit apps in the App Store and reject any apps that violate the privacy policies, the letter said. Apple said it had an "unwavering commitment" to giving customers "clear and transparent notice, choice and control over their personal information." The latest letter raised additional concerns about iOS apps having access to photos stored on the mobile device as well as tools provided by Apple that could potentially track user behavior online. "To help us understand these issues, we request that you make available representatives to brief our staff on the Energy and Commerce Committee," Waxman and Butterfield wrote.