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Apple likes to talk about how privacy is not at odds with features. It seems like there could be multiple legitimate reasons to want to know whether an app has previously been installed on a given device. I wonder how well Uber is currently addressing the fraud problem, without access to the serial numbers. Uber’s app remained in the App Store the entire time, even though the guidelines say that “If you attempt to cheat the system for example, by trying to trick the review process your apps will be removed from the store and you will be expelled from the Developer Program.” There’s little incentive for any ( big) developer to follow the rules if the worst case scenario is that you temporarily gain a competitive advantage, until caught, and then nothing further happens.Īpp Review was not able detect the private API usage, even though the IOKit calls seem to be directly visible in the compiled code. Uber knew it was violating the rules-IOKit is definitely private API-and went to great lengths to try to prevent Apple from figuring out what they were doing.ĭespite the blatant violation and deceit, there was no punishment (that we know of). That is a frustrating situation to be in.īut this wasn’t an innocent mistake. What they wanted to do was not really against the spirit of the rules. They had a business problem with a simple technical solution that was unavailable due to Apple’s rules. Some sloppy wording in the original version of Isaac’s article has since been revised, so it no longer sounds like Uber hacked anything or that iOS has a major security flaw.
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It’s a far cry from what people were initially speculating about-personal location tracking and messing up the phone’s software in a way that persisted after it was erased.
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If Uber was just transmitting the device serial number (obtained via private API) to their servers, and only using it for this type of fraud prevention, that doesn’t seem very harmful. Apple employees at its headquarters were unable to see Uber’s fingerprinting.

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Uber would then obfuscate its code for people within that geofenced area, essentially drawing a digital lasso around those it wanted to keep in the dark. Kalanick told his engineers to “geofence” Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., a way to digitally identify people reviewing Uber’s software in a specific location.
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Since Uber was handing out incentives to drivers to take more rides, the drivers could earn more money this way. Some Uber drivers there would then create dozens of fake email addresses to sign up for new Uber rider accounts attached to each phone, and request rides from those phones, which they would then accept. Cook then demanded, or Uber’s app would be kicked out of Apple’s App Store.Īt the time, Uber was dealing with widespread account fraud in places like China, where tricksters bought stolen iPhones that were erased and resold. “So, I’ve heard you’ve been breaking some of our rules,” Mr. Kalanick arrived at the midafternoon meeting sporting his favorite pair of bright red sneakers and hot-pink socks, Mr. The reason? So Apple would not find out that Uber had been secretly identifying and tagging iPhones even after its app had been deleted and the devices erased - a fraud detection maneuver that violated Apple’s privacy guidelines.īut Apple was onto the deception, and when Mr. Kalanick had pulled a fast one on Apple by directing his employees to help camouflage the ride-hailing app from Apple’s engineers. Uber Used Private API to Access iPhone Serial Numberįor months, Mr.
