Thanks for choosing Orange County Computer, Inc.

949-699-6619 | 8am – 5pm Monday – Friday : Saturday by Appointment

Orange County Computer INC.
  • OCC Home
  • About Us
    • Blog
    • Location
    • Testimonials
    • Partners
    • Computer Repair Warranty
  • Contact Us
    • Customer Referral Program
  • Tech Center Services
    • Desktop Repair
    • Laptop Repair Services
    • Virus Removal
    • Tech Support Services
    • Data Recovery
    • E-Waste Recycling
    • Disaster Recovery
  • Business IT Services
    • Enterprise WiFi Solutions
    • Managed Services
    • Software Licensing
    • Why Choose a Microsoft Partner
    • Software Application Development
  • Technologies
    • Disaster Recovery Solutions
    • Data Backup & Storage Solutions
    • Offsite Backup
    • Software Support
    • Virtualization
    • Firewall & Security
    • Servers
  • Web Services
    • Domain Registrar
    • Hosting Services
    • Web Design
  • OCC Home
  • About Us
    • Blog
    • Location
    • Testimonials
    • Partners
    • Computer Repair Warranty
  • Contact Us
    • Customer Referral Program
  • Tech Center Services
    • Desktop Repair
    • Laptop Repair Services
    • Virus Removal
    • Tech Support Services
    • Data Recovery
    • E-Waste Recycling
    • Disaster Recovery
  • Business IT Services
    • Enterprise WiFi Solutions
    • Managed Services
    • Software Licensing
    • Why Choose a Microsoft Partner
    • Software Application Development
  • Technologies
    • Disaster Recovery Solutions
    • Data Backup & Storage Solutions
    • Offsite Backup
    • Software Support
    • Virtualization
    • Firewall & Security
    • Servers
  • Web Services
    • Domain Registrar
    • Hosting Services
    • Web Design

Big Brother Camera Security Iphone App Is Watching you!

Orange County Computer INC. > About Us > Blog > Security > Big Brother Camera Security Iphone App Is Watching you!

Big Brother Camera Security Iphone App Is Watching you!

(Credit: Daniel Amitay)

Apple has pulled a third-party application that was collecting user-submitted “lock-screen” passwords for what its creator: Daniel Amitay claims were research purposes.

The software, dubbed “Big Brother Camera Security,” was created to serve as an alternative to Apple’s lock-screen security. Users could run it when leaving their iPhone or iPod Touch unattended, and the application would require an iOS-style passcode to resume. If a user entered the incorrect password, the software would take a photo of that person, and if the app was exited, an alarm would sound.

A side feature, added by Amitay in the most recent software update, began sending him user-entered passcodes, which were anonymized. Amitay on Monday posted the result of his “research”, which was made up of 204,508 recorded passcodes, to show what some of the most common passwords were. The move did not go over well in Cupertino.

“Got a call from Apple last night regarding the removal of Big Brother from the App Store,” Amitay wrote in a blog post today. “Apparently, Apple believed that I was ‘surreptitiously harvesting user passwords,'” Amitay wrote.

Amitay says he’s appealing the company’s decision on the grounds that the application was only gathering data from his own app, and not the phone’s lock screen, which Apple does not provide an API for, nor would it likely to be approved as part of its review process. Amitay added that that app was anonymizing that user data, and putting it toward “improving effectiveness of future updates.”

Apple did not respond to a request for comment.

Apple, along with other device providers, has come under scrutiny by the U.S. government, along with advocacy groups, over what’s done with user data and information. U.S. Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.) in particular has made it a personal mission to get Apple and Google to require third-party applications to be more transparent about what data is being collected, as well as if it’s being transmitted elsewhere.

Amitay said he believes his data collection methods are covered under a section of the iTunes end user license agreement that says data collection is fine as long as it’s made anonymous, and aims to improve the quality of the application through future updates.

“Perhaps this was a misunderstanding on Apple’s part, or perhaps I missed a developer agreement where I’m not able to publish certain statistics (?), but I’m hoping to get this worked out and have Big Brother back on the App Store,” Amitay wrote.

Did you find this information helpful? Let us know! We would love to hear from you. Click on this LINK, and let us know what you think!

If you have more questions on things like how to set up your exchange email with your iPhone or Droid phones, give us a call.

Office:949-699-6619

Email: support@orangecountycomputer.com

Tags: Orange County Computer Repair

Written by deborah

Deborah is the Operations Director at Orange County Computer and has been with the company since 2004.

Related Posts
← iPhones Tracking Your Location without Permission? Here Are Some Tools to Help…
The Federal Bureau of Investigation seized over 40 computers and arrested two individuals to break up two separate scareware cyber-crime outfits. →

Recent News

  • AdSense Fraud Campaign: Is your site infected?
  • Looking for a Windows 10 Download? You’re Out of Luck!
  • Celebrating 25 Years as a Technology Solutions Provider!
  • The Southwest Airlines IT Meltdown
  • ‘Tis the season… to avoid holiday scams!

Contact Us

Orange County Computer, Inc.

26150 Enterprise Way, Suite 400
Lake Forest, CA 92630

949-699-6619

Recent Posts

  • AdSense Fraud Campaign: Is your site infected?

    Last fall, website security and performance specialists Sucuri reported on a mal...

  • Looking for a Windows 10 Download? You’re Out of Luck!

    On January 31st, Microsoft stopped the direct sale of Windows 10 licenses on its...

Search

    • Home
    • Site Map
    • Remote Support