Apple (165.25, 10.57, 6.83%) said Wednesday it would revoke Facebook's IOS enterprise developer certificate after it was exposed that Facebook paid consumers to install a data collection app. What are the reasons behind Apple's revocation of the FB certificate? Is there another secret?
Apple provides so-called enterprise Developer Certificates, which allow enterprises to have deep control over the iPhone, install applications remotely on the iPhone, monitor the use and access of applications, and delete data owned by enterprises. Apple has designed the app for organizations whose employees use the iPhone for business purposes, and the privacy needs of these organizations are different from those of personal phones.
On Tuesday, techcrunch reported that Facebook has been paying people to install an app to collect data on how they use their smartphones.
Since 2016, Facebook has paid teenagers and adults up to $20 a month, plus a referral fee, to install the so-called 'Facebook research' app on their apple or Android phones, the report said. It is understood that the app allows Facebook to track users' app usage history, private messages and location data.
There is no doubt that this has not only angered users, but also apple. According to the report, apple said Facebook violated an agreement with Apple by releasing a 'research' app for iPhone users that allows Facebook to collect personal data about those users.
As we all know, since last summer, applications that collect such data have been seen as violating Apple's privacy guidelines. That means Facebook can't offer the app through the app store store because it needs Apple's approval to go online.
But Facebook also has a strategy, which is to use the enterprise Developer Program (EDP) as a shield. EDP allows Apple partners, such as Facebook, to test and distribute apps specifically for their employees. In this case, employees can use third-party services to download beta versions of applications that are not available to the general public.
Obviously, apple won't approve these apps as it does for the app store, because they are considered to be downloaded and used only by employees inside the enterprise. That way, without Apple's knowledge, Facebook pays non company employees up to $20 a month to download the app.
In response, apple said: 'our EDP program is designed to distribute applications within the enterprise. Facebook has been using its membership to distribute a data collection app to consumers, in clear violation of their agreement with apple. Any developer who uses their enterprise certificates to distribute applications to consumers will be revoked. This is what we do in this situation to protect our users and their data. '
Apple will no longer allow Facebook to distribute the app. And it's not just the app, Facebook will no longer be able to distribute other apps to employees through the EDP program. But the ban does not affect Facebook's apps in the Apple App store, which Facebook relies on to distribute Facebook, WhatsApp and instagram apps to iPhone users.
Facebook said in a statement: 'this app is not a & lsquo; secret & rsquo;. It's not & lsquo; spy & rsquo;, because all applicants have to go through a clear entry process. We asked for their permission and paid them. '
Facebook said less than 5 percent of the teens who took part in the program signed their parents' consent.