Mobile Apps Take Data Without Permission

The address book in smartphones--where some of the user's most personal data is carried--is free for app companies like Twitter, Foursquare, and Instagram to take at will, often without the phone owner’s knowledge. Apple's privacy rules say that apps cannot access users' information without permission, and in the past the FTC has sanctioned companies like Facebook for these kind of activities, but so far neither the company or federal regulators have commented on this practice. Several companies whose apps are reported to be accessing address book information without permission say they are taking steps to increase transparency.