Popular iOS apps record iPhone screen without permission. They don't hide credit card information either

Apple offers an overview of various app usage statistics on iOS devices in its developer tools. However, they are not completely comprehensive, so developers often reach for other specialized tools, such as Glassbox. The data obtained from it would not be a problem, however, if the tool did not record the iPhone or iPad screen without permission, including all sensitive data such as debit card numbers and the like.

A foreign magazine came up with the revelation TechCrunch, who also stated that Glassbox uses several popular apps. These include, for example, Hotels.com, Hollister, Expedia, Singapore Airlines, Air Canada or Abercrombie & Fitch.

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Hotels

Air Canada

Expedia

Singapore Airlines

After implementing the analytical tool in the application, developers can look back at the so-called session replay (user behavior within one session), which also includes a screen recording. In this way, the developer can see exactly what elements in the application the user clicks on, which sections he uses (or, on the contrary, ignores) and how he behaves in the application in general.

However, a significant problem is that credit or debit card numbers, passports and other sensitive data are not censored on the recording. For example, in the case of the Air Canada application, the database of recordings and screenshots is accessed by several employees who can view said data.

Not all applications in which Glassbox is implemented reveal sensitive data of their users. A number of developers view analytical data on Glassbox servers, and the service automatically masks the data. Others skip this step and have analytics sent directly to their servers, which presents a problem because they don't go through the review process.

In addition, none of the applications informs the user about screen recording and obtaining analytical data in their terms or privacy policies. There is basically no way for the average user to know which apps are using Glassbox. Certain restrictions from Apple can be expected in the future, but at the moment the topic remains open.