Data Broker X-Mode Being Booted From Mobile Apps

guest · Dec 10, 2020

Data Broker X-Mode Being Booted From Mobile Apps
December 10, 2020
https://www.securityweek.com/data-broker-x-mode-being-booted-mobile-apps

Google on Wednesday confirmed it is banning location tracking software developed by data collection firm X-Mode Social from apps on Android-powered mobile devices, which dominate the global market.
Apple is also barring X-Mode from its coveted iOS devices, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Google sent developers a warning giving them seven days to rid their apps of X-Mode software or request more time if doing so is technically complex, according to a spokesperson.

"If X-Mode is still present in the app after the timeframe, the app will be removed from Play," the Google spokesperson said, referring to the internet giant's online shop for mobile apps and digital content.
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Apple did not immediately return a request for comment.
However, according to the Journal, it also gave developers a warning that X-Mode tracking software must be removed from smartphone apps which otherwise risk being blocked.

The two tech giants reported their decisions on X-Mode to a team working for US Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, whose office is investigating the sale of location data to government agencies, the Journal said.
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Wall Street Journal: Apple and Google to Stop X-Mode From Collecting Location Data From Users’ Phones

Apple Inc. AAPL -2.09% and Alphabet Inc.’s GOOG -1.89% Google will ban the data broker X-Mode Social Inc. from collecting any location information drawn from mobile devices running their operating systems in the wake of revelations about the company’s national-security work.

The two largest mobile-phone platforms told developers this week that they must remove X-Mode’s tracking software from any app present in their app stores or risk losing access to any phones running Apple’s or Google’s mobile operating systems.
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guest · Dec 10, 2020

Apple and Google clamp down on X-Mode, a location-tracking data broker
December 10, 2020
https://www.engadget.com/apple-google-x-mode-android-ios-developer-removal-order-114539888.html

According to the Journal, Apple and Google shared their decision with Ronald Lee Wyden, a US Senator currently investigating how location data is sold to political forces.

X-Mode isn’t the only company that wants to obtain and sell location data. The Virgina-based organisation has been highlighted in multiple media reports, though, published by the Journal and Vice’s Motherboard. The latter discovered that many seemingly-innocent apps were using X-Mode’s SDK, including Muslim Pro, an app that notifies users when it’s time to pray, and Muslim Mingle, a dating app.

Unsurprisingly, X-Mode isn’t happy with the decision.
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