TikTok, Overstock, And The Other Apps Spying On Your iPhone Clipboards
People use their phone clipboards for several reasons: to copy passwords, bank account numbers, necessary addresses, etc. Unfortunately, there are apps out there that can access that information. According to…
SAN ANSELMO, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 01: In this photo illustration, the Tik Tok app is displayed on an Apple iPhone on November 01, 2019 in San Anselmo, California. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) has started a national security investigation of social media app TikTok after Beijing ByteDance Technology Co acquired U.S. social media app Musical.ly for $1 billion. (Photo Illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
(Photo Illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)People use their phone clipboards for several reasons: to copy passwords, bank account numbers, necessary addresses, etc. Unfortunately, there are apps out there that can access that information.
According to Naked Security by Sophos, "Android and iOS apps could silently, automatically read anything you copy into your mobile device’s clipboard." They explain that the data is typically used for advertising and tracking purposes.
They also add that the copying is not only possible for a device's local data, but also any nearby devices that share the same Apple ID and are within 10 feet of each other.
Naked Security explains that with iOS14, there will be a release that flags this behavior. They state that the operating system "comes with a feature that's custom-tailored to spotlight this kind of thing: namely, a banner warning that pops up every time an app reads clipboard contents."
Besides TikTok and Overstock, other apps that access phone clipboards include ABC News, CBS News, The Huffington Post, Bejeweled, Bed Bath & Beyond, and The Weather Network. For a full list of the apps, click here.
