Path Update Attempts To Quiet Any Further Privacy Concerns
by Brent Dirks
April 3, 2012
To further tackle any lingering privacy concerns, Path been updated to version 2.1.1.
The update of the social journaling application will now hash user contact data like: names, phone numbers, email addresses, Twitter handles, and Facebook IDs. Hashing encrypts data between your iPhone and Path’s servers, making it that much more secure, according to the company's blog:
We take privacy and security seriously, and we believe your data deserves to be well-protected. That’s why, with the release of Path 2.1.1, we are enhancing our security by hashing user contact data so that it is anonymized. This means last names, phone numbers, email addresses, Twitter handles, and Facebook IDs. We collect this data to connect you with those who are closest to you.The application was mired in controversy earlier this year when it was discovered that Path uploaded user’s address books to the company's servers without explicit permission. Path quickly responded and issued an update that stopped the practice. Closer examination revealed that Yelp, Foursquare and Twitter were also engaging in less-than-ideal privacy practices regarding contact information. Thanks to the dustup, Apple responded by saying that in a future software update, any app wanting contact information will have to receive explicit user permission to do so. Path is free and available in the App Store. Are you glad to see that Path has taken privacy and security issues seriously? When Apple somehow allows apps like the extra-creepy Girls Around Me to be approved, iDevice users really need to understand what is being done with our personal and private information.