Popular iPhone apps record screen activity without user permission
11 February, 2019
In yet another infringement of users’ privacy and device security, a number of iPhone apps have been discovered secretly recording the device screen, taking careful note of each swipe and tap, all without the user’s knowledge.
These apps, some from major companies such as Air Canada, Hollister, and Expedia, are even monetizing the data derived out of this snooping.
According to TechCrunch, iPhone apps from hoteliers, travel sites, airlines, cell phone carriers, banks and financiers do not ask or make it clear to the users that the apps are collecting the data in this manner.
Some of these apps use embedded analytics which allows developers to even record the screen and screenshot every tap, button push, and keyboard entry to see how a user interacted with the app and if something did not work properly or had an error.
While the session replays are meant to mask certain fields from the data captured, some failed to do so, exposing key information such as passport numbers and credit card data from the recorded sessions.