Google violating privacy like Facebook

This 30 January 2019 video from the USA says about itself:

Would you give Facebook access to your phone and online activity for $20 a month? Those who installed Facebook’s research app had their information shared with the company — and now, Apple is blocking the controversial app for violating its policies. CNN’s Samuel Burke has more.

Another 30 January 2019 video used to say about itself:

Apple Busts Facebook for Distributing App That Tracked Teen User Data

Apple says Facebook can no longer distribute an app that paid users, including teenagers, to extensively track their phone and web use. In doing so, Apple closed off Facebook‘s efforts to sidestep Apple’s App Store and its tighter rules on privacy. The tech blog TechCrunch reported late Tuesday that Facebook paid people about $20 a month to install and use the Facebook Research app. While Facebook says this was done with permission, the company has a history of defining “permission” loosely and obscuring what data it collects.

From TechCrunch in the USA, 30 January 2019:

Zack Whittaker, Josh Constine, Ingrid Lunden

It looks like Facebook was not the only one abusing Apple’s system for distributing employee-only apps to sidestep the App Store and collect extensive data on users.

Google has been running an app called Screenwise Meter, which bears a strong resemblance to the app distributed by Facebook Research that has now been barred by Apple, TechCrunch has learned.

In its app, Google invites users aged 18 and up (or 13 if part of a family group) to download the app by way of a special code and registration process using an Enterprise Certificate. That’s the same type of policy violation that led Apple to shut down Facebook’s similar Research VPN iOS app, which had the knock-on effect of also disabling usage of Facebook’s legitimate employee-only apps — which run on the same Facebook Enterprise Certificate — and making Facebook look very iffy in the process.

After we asked Google whether its app violated Apple policy, Google announced it will remove Screenwise Meter from Apple’s Enterprise Certificate program and disable it on iOS devices. …

Originally, Screenwise was open to users as young as 13, just like Facebook’s Research app that’s now been shut down on iOS but remains on Android. Now, according to the site’s Panelist Eligibility rules, Google requires the primary users of its Opinion Rewards to be 18 or older, but still allows secondary panelists as young as 13 in the same household to join the program and have their devices tracked …

Putting the not-insignificant issues of privacy aside — in short, many people lured by financial rewards may not fully take in what it means to have a company fully monitoring all your screen-based activity — and the implications of what extent tech businesses are willing to go to to amass more data about users to get an edge on competitors, Google Screenwise Meter for iOS appears to violate Apple’s policy.

FACEBOOK POSTS RECORD PROFIT DESPITE SCANDALS Facebook posted a record $6.9 billion profit for the final three months of 2018 — despite ongoing scandals over privacy. [CNN]

Google violates privacy in the Netherlands: here.