Phone apps and uploading photos to their servers

[Feuillesmortes]

Mobiles now require apps to ask permission to access photos, and you can select specific photos that they can access.

What were apps doing before this, were they routinely uploading everyone's photos to their servers? (in the same way that people's address books were uploaded)?

 

[skyhigh]

were they routinely uploading everyone's photos to their servers?

It would cost a massive amount to store every photo everyone takes on a server somewhere, not to mention draining everyone's data plans, so no this didn't happen.

In reality they would have had access to the photos (but generally wouldn't do anything with them unless required) and the only difference is a tightening up of permissions means that you now have to specifically allow an app to have access to things.

 

[najaB]

In reality they would have had access to the photos (but generally wouldn't do anything with them unless required) and the only difference is a tightening up of permissions means that you now have to specifically allow an app to have access to things.

This, exactly. Google has been tightening up app permissions of late.

 

[D365]

It’s basically an opt-in rather than an opt-out.