Apple Cracks Down on Facebook and Google Over Misused Enterprise Certificates
Apple revokes special developer certificates from Facebook and Google after the companies use them to distribute data-collecting apps outside their organizations. The punishment causes widespread internal app downtime for both tech giants.
Facebook and Google face severe backlash from Apple this week after TechCrunch investigations expose their misuse of internal-only enterprise certificates. Facebook uses its special certificate to distribute a data-gathering app called "Research" to the public, paying users and teenagers twenty dollars a month for deep access to their device network traffic. Apple responds by revoking Facebook's certificate, a move that immediately knocks all of Facebook's internal employee apps offline.
Google quickly finds itself in the exact same situation when reporters discover the company is using its own enterprise certificate to operate a similar data-snooping app called Screenwise. Apple promptly bans Google's certificate as well, causing a day of internal downtime for the search giant as its employee-only apps become inoperable. These actions highlight Apple's strict enforcement of its developer rules regarding app distribution.
Enterprise certificates exist so companies can build and distribute apps internally to their employees without going through the official App Store vetting process. By agreeing to Apple's developer terms, Facebook and Google promise to use these certificates only for internal purposes, but instead exploit the loophole to bypass App Store restrictions. The controversy centers on how these tech giants bypass privacy safeguards to vacuum up sensitive user data through repackaged apps that Apple previously bans.