Here’s another app privacy problem you might have to worry about: apps that have access to location information on your iPhone or iPad can access, copy and steal your entire iPhone library without you even knowing. Watch your pictures!
The way it works, according to the New York Times, is that when apps ask for permission to access location information it also gains access to an iPhone’s photo library. Though the app never has to specify that it has access to your photos, it does. And if it’s malicious, the app could upload your personal photos to a server offsite.
According to the New York Times, the exploit has been known for a long time but “it’s unclear” if it hasn’t been used yet. The thinking is that if an app does pull photos and videos from your photo library under the veil of location information, the App Store would ban that app because its against Apple’s rules. But as we know with the Path situation, apps that are against Apple’s rules are sometimes mistakenly allowed by Apple too. Apple definitely needs to clean it up its permissions and what it lets developers access. [NY Times, 9to5Mac]