Apple and Google have banned X-Mode Social, a major data broker, from collecting mobile location data from iOS and Android users following criticism of its national security work,The tech giants are requiring developers to remove X-Mode's tracking software from their apps or they could get cut off from Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store, according to The Journal. Apple has given developers two weeks to comply, The Journal reported.
In a statement to Business Insider, a Google spokesperson said: "We are sending a 7-day warning to all developers using the X-Mode SDK. Apps that need more time due to the complexity of their implementation can request an extension, which can be up to 30 days . If X-Mode is still present in the app after the timeframe, the app will be removed from Play.", effectively forcing developers to ditch X-Mode, and the policies mark one of the most direct actions against a specific data broker.
"X-Mode collects similar mobile app data as most location and advertising SDKs in the industry. Apple and Google would be setting the precedent that they can determine private enterprises' ability to collect and use mobile app data," an X-Mode spokesperson told Business Insider in a statement. X-Mode is still trying to get information from Apple and Google on why its tracking software is different than what other location data companies — or even Apple and Google themselves — collect, the spokesperson added.
Both Apple and Google disclosed their new policies banning X-Mode to investigators working on behalf of Sen. Ron Wyden, according to The Wall Street Journal. Wyden has been investigating how private companies collect and sell Americans' mobile location data to the government, often without their knowledge, and has
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