It is not the first nor will it be the only application that, in the effort to collect data on users, breaks some of the strict rules that Apple makes available to developers in order to offer their applications in the App Store. It won't be the last to hit the App Store either. bypassing the filters of the Cupertino-based company.
The AccuWeather app for iOS could be violating the rules that Apple makes available to developersAccording to Will Strafach, a security auditor who discovered that the application was said to share information about the user and the device with third parties with third-party companies, even if the location of our device is disabled.
Data collection has become, for some time now, In the currency exchange for users who want free applications can enjoy them. By collecting the data and selling it to third parties, developers can maintain themselves and launch new applications of this type. The problem occurs when these applications do not correctly report how and what data is being collected.
Based on research by Strafach, AccuWeather is rcollecting the data on the location of the users, even if it is deactivated, to later sell the SDKs, a company that is part of RevealMobile, an advertising company and media companies that make the most of user location data. If the user downloads and allows AccuWeather to access their location, it will also share the GPS coordinates of the device, the name of the Wi-Fi connection to which we are connected and whether or not we have Bluetooth enabled.
Technically The privacy policy of the application covers the case of downloading the application and agreeing to share the location data, but not that personal information about you can be shared that can help identify you. With this data, the RevealMobile company is able to create maps where user interaction is higher, data that it can later use to guide advertising campaigns as well as sell this data to other companies in the same sector.
