In the wake of the Facebook VPN scandal,
it was recently revealed that Google has also been abusing the same
Apple backdoor to collect data from users as young as thirteen. Similar
to the Facebook Research app, Google's Screenwise Meter has
been using Apple's Enterprise Certificate, which is meant for
distributing employee-only apps, to circumvent the App Store and tap
into a wealthy reserve of user data.
Upon
downloading the app, users complete a survey and are then sent a special
code that allows them to download the Enterprise Certificate-based VPN
app that is then used to track all of their app and Internet use. In
order to entice people to go through with it, Screenwise lets users earn gift cards in return for their data. The app was first launched in 2012, though, as TechCrunch points out, it was later rebranded as part of the broader Cross Media Panel and Google Opinion Rewards programs.
Similarly to Facebook's now-defunct Research app, Screenwise Meter was
also initially available to people as young as thirteen, though Google
later changed the age requirement to eighteen or older. However, minors
could still partake in the program in the same household as other
testers that met the age requirement.
If nothing else, Google has at least been a bit more transparent
than Facebook when it came to explaining what it does with its VPN
tracker. Following TechCrunch's investigation, Google has announced that it will be shutting down the Screenwise Meter app for iOS:
"The
Screenwise Meter iOS app should not have operated under Apple’s
developer enterprise program — this was a mistake, and we apologize. We
have disabled this app on iOS devices. This app is completely voluntary
and always has been. We’ve been upfront with users about the way we use
their data in this app, we have no access to encrypted data in apps and
on devices, and users can opt out of the program at any time."
Source: phonearena.com
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