Apple Boots Facebook Privacy App for Violating Privacy
*By Carlo Versano*
Apple instructed Facebook to remove an app that lets users redirect their mobile data through a VPN managed by Facebook servers, saying the software violated new rules Apple put in place to limit the data developers can collect.
The iPhone maker's demand to remove Onavo Protect ー which is ostensibly designed to protect user privacy ー for being too broad in how it tracks those users is a blow to Facebook as the social media giant grapples with new controversies related to its ad model, privacy, and the distortion of the platform by bad actors. The story was first reported late Wednesday by the [Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-to-remove-data-security-app-from-apple-store-1534975340).
Apple said in a statement that it "made it explicitly clear that apps should not collect information about which other apps are installed on a user’s device for the purposes of analytics or advertising/marketing and must make it clear what user data will be collected and how it will be used.”
Facebook told the Journal, “We’ve always been clear when people download Onavo about the information that is collected and how it is use."
The company also removed another app, mostly out of use since 2012, that it said may have mishandled the personal data of about 4 million users. The "myPersonality" app is the second casualty of Facebook's app auditing process, which it instituted amid the fallout from Cambridge Analytica.
Meanwhile, Facebook's partnership lead Dan Rose, one of the company's first executives, [announced](https://www.facebook.com/drose/posts/10105190309509931) Wednesday that he is leaving the company. His departure comes after communications chief Elliot Schrage [vacated his post](https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/facebook-elliot-schrage-departure-1202846683/) in July after the Cambridge Analytica scandal, and chief security officer Alex Stamos [stepped down](https://www.businessinsider.com/alex-stamos-is-leaving-facebook-2018-3) at the start of this month.
In what could be the biggest deal in video games history, Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard underlines the company's aggressive push in gaming and beyond into its long-term vision of being top dog in the metaverse. Adam Hollander, former director of gamification at Microsoft and founder of Hungry Wolves NFT, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss. “Microsoft always plays chess, not checkers," he said, describing the price tag as an opportunity cost. "It's about integrating Activision Blizzard in with Azure and Windows and Xbox and Hololens and Minecraft and everything else that they're doing for the inevitable goal of being the major player in the next phase of the internet."
Telecom giants AT&T and Verizon have agreed to delay activating their 5G services around airports and runways once again. This comes after major U.S. airlines voiced their concern over the rollout of 5G technology, warning of an impending "catastrophic" aviation crisis. Peter Andersen, Chief Investment Officer, Anderson Capital Management joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
Earnings season kicks into high gear this week as big players are on tap to report their Q4 numbers. Goldman Sachs, Procter & Gamble, United Airlines, and Netflix are just a few of the companies we're keeping a close eye on to give us a better idea of how they're dealing with the Omicron variant, inflation and interest rates. David Nelson, chief strategist at Belpointe, gives a preview of what to expect.
Thomas Hayes, Chairman at Great Hill Capital, joined Wake Up With Cheddar to break down what to look for on the economic front in the coming months amid an Omicron surge and planned interest rate hikes.
Mike McGlone, Senior Commodity Strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says he believes we'll eventually see Bitcoin reach the $100,000 mark despite its recent struggles, and explains why Bitcoin will be less volatile than the Nasdaq.
