Major Apps Like LinkedIn and Reddit Caught Spying on iOS Clipboard Data
Apple's iOS 14 beta reveals that popular apps like LinkedIn and Reddit are actively reading users' clipboard contents with every keystroke. Both companies acknowledge the invasive behavior and promise to release updates to stop the unauthorized access.
Apple's iOS 14 beta introduces a new privacy feature that alerts users whenever an app accesses their clipboard, and this tool immediately exposes significant privacy invasions by major applications. Following the recent controversy surrounding TikTok, users discover that highly reputable platforms like LinkedIn and Reddit are also secretly reading clipboard contents during everyday use.
Security researchers and regular users observe that both LinkedIn and the Reddit app actively copy clipboard data with nearly every keystroke. This invasive behavior means that any sensitive information a user previously copies, such as passwords or financial details, remains vulnerable to interception by these popular networking tools.
After facing intense public backlash over these discoveries, engineering leaders from both LinkedIn and Reddit confirm that this behavior is an unintentional bug rather than a deliberate surveillance feature. They promise to deploy swift updates to eliminate the unnecessary clipboard access, while additional users report that other major apps like Microsoft Teams, Google Chrome, and Slack exhibit similar spying habits.