A privacy bug in Apple Maps that was recently fixed could have resulted in users getting tracked without their knowledge. More specifically, other apps were able to take advantage of this bug because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up allowing them to track users without having to inform them beforehand.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that there is one app that has already confirmed to have done so. What makes matters even worse is that there really is no telling how many apps ended up exploiting the bug before Apple was made aware of it and subsequently managed to fix it.
The bug was a part of the latest update to iOS 16, and a Brazilian food delivery app by the name of iFood turned out to be the app that used the vulnerability to secretly track users. They were able to do so even if users had explicitly refused to give consent for tracking, and the developers of the app might not even have been aware that their app was doing so.
iFood is a multibillion dollar start up, and the only reason why its own exploitation of the issue came to light is due to its enormous size. It is entirely possible that several other apps that came from smaller developers used the privacy issue as well, and they might have had even worse intentions than might have been the case otherwise.
All in all, this update turned out to be a bit of a PR nightmare for Apple because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up making users trust its Map app even less.
Apple Maps has lagged way behind Google when it comes to maps, and issues like these are only going to make things worse. Users will be understandably hesitant about wanting to take advantage of an app that could let them be tracked even if they toggle all of the settings off.
H/T: 9to5mac
Read next: Biden Administration Raises Concerns About Apple and Google’s Anti-Competitive Practices
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that there is one app that has already confirmed to have done so. What makes matters even worse is that there really is no telling how many apps ended up exploiting the bug before Apple was made aware of it and subsequently managed to fix it.
The bug was a part of the latest update to iOS 16, and a Brazilian food delivery app by the name of iFood turned out to be the app that used the vulnerability to secretly track users. They were able to do so even if users had explicitly refused to give consent for tracking, and the developers of the app might not even have been aware that their app was doing so.
iFood is a multibillion dollar start up, and the only reason why its own exploitation of the issue came to light is due to its enormous size. It is entirely possible that several other apps that came from smaller developers used the privacy issue as well, and they might have had even worse intentions than might have been the case otherwise.
All in all, this update turned out to be a bit of a PR nightmare for Apple because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up making users trust its Map app even less.
Apple Maps has lagged way behind Google when it comes to maps, and issues like these are only going to make things worse. Users will be understandably hesitant about wanting to take advantage of an app that could let them be tracked even if they toggle all of the settings off.
H/T: 9to5mac
Read next: Biden Administration Raises Concerns About Apple and Google’s Anti-Competitive Practices
