Apple restores Google enterprise developer certificate after five-hour ban

Roughly five hours after Apple revoked Google's enterprise developer certificate over an illicit data gathering campaign, the iPhone maker late Thursday restored access to the program just as it did for Facebook hours earlier.

The restoration of privileges was first noted by Bloomberg reporter Mark Bergen in a tweet and later confirmed by TechCrunch.

In a statement, a Google spokesperson said they "can confirm that our internal corporate apps have been restored," the publication reports.

Earlier in the day, Google saw Apple revoke its Enterprise Certificate revoked following revelations about the search giant's Screenwise Meter app. The app offered users gift cards in exchange for access to device monitoring tools accessed via a VPN.

Google relied on its Enterprise Certificate to enable sideloading of the Screenwise Meter app, allowing the company to effectively skirt the App Store's stringent privacy policies. Following an expos by TechCrunch, Google voluntarily shut down the program on iOS and offered an apology.

Facebook found itself in a similar situation this week after a report exposed a data gathering program called Facebook Research. Like Google's Screenwise Meter, Facebook Research paid users to sideload a VPN app on iOS, granting root access to host devices for the purpose of collecting usage data.

Facebook's certificate was revoked on Wednesday and ultimately restored on Thursday.

Apple framed both Google and Facebook's programs as violations of its developer guidelines. As noted in Apple's terms of use, Enterprise Developer Certificates are designed expressly for the distribution of private software within corporations. Facebook, for example, relied on the certificate to disseminate unreleased betas, internal communications apps and other software to tens of thousands of employees.

35 Comments

krreagan2 75 comments · 8 Years

About 5 years ago

Too quick! Should have made them sweat a little longer!

cropr 1142 comments · 11 Years

I am chessplayer and a common rule in chess strategy is that the threat is stronger than the execution. That why I don't understand the actions of Apple. Apple might contractually be 100% right, but it should have looked at other options to make Facebook and Google comply to its requirements. Publicly threatening the revoke the certificate is much more effective than actually doing it

This could hit massively back in Apple's face. CIO's of large companies have now to consider the possibility that Apple could cripple the internal working of the company by revoking the certificate. So a CIO might start contemplating if it would not be better to standardize on Android. Even if only a small percentage of the CIO actually decides to do that, Apple can only loose.

Rayz2016 6957 comments · 8 Years

cropr said:

I am chessplayer and a common rule in chess strategy is that the threat is stronger than the execution. That why I don't understand the actions of Apple. Apple might contractually be 100% right, but it should have looked at other options to make Facebook and Google comply to its requirements. Publicly threatening the revoke the certificate is much more effective than actually doing it

This could hit massively back in Apple's face. CIO's of large companies have now to consider the possibility that Apple could cripple the internal working of the company by revoking the certificate. So a CIO might start contemplating if it would not be better to standardize on Android. Even if only a small percentage of the CIO actually decides to do that, Apple can only loose.

Nothing you said makes sense.

The reason that Facebook and Google thought this was okay is because they got into their heads that Apple wouldn’t dare retaliate.

They now know differently.

Swift, decisive and very fair.

But I suspect you already know that.

avon b7 8008 comments · 20 Years

Rayz2016 said:

cropr said:

I am chessplayer and a common rule in chess strategy is that the threat is stronger than the execution. That why I don't understand the actions of Apple. Apple might contractually be 100% right, but it should have looked at other options to make Facebook and Google comply to its requirements. Publicly threatening the revoke the certificate is much more effective than actually doing it

This could hit massively back in Apple's face. CIO's of large companies have now to consider the possibility that Apple could cripple the internal working of the company by revoking the certificate. So a CIO might start contemplating if it would not be better to standardize on Android. Even if only a small percentage of the CIO actually decides to do that, Apple can only loose.

Nothing you said makes sense.

The reason that Facebook and Google thought this was okay is because they got into their heads that Apple wouldn’t dare retaliate.

They now know differently.

Swift, decisive and very fair.

But I suspect you already know that.

It makes sense. What doesn't make sense is to take it away for such a short period.

If Facebook were to announce the dropping of support for iOS in 18 months and Google were to do the same, who do you think would have more to lose?

I think chess is the word here.

chasm 3590 comments · 10 Years

Facebook and Google need Apple and it’s affluent users FAR more than Apple needs them. All of FBand Google services can be reached from a web connection.

You’re playing tiddlywinks, not chess.