Apple is being urged by influential people to fix the way in which iPhone applications are given access to a user’s camera.

A security researcher proved apps can secretly record videos, take photos, and do other things while the user is unaware, after one initial grant of permission, or worse.

Felix Krause, a Google employee and Austrian developer, developed an app that managed to take pictures of its iPhone user every single second, and upload them without the knowledge of the user.

He described it as a “privacy loophole that can be abused by iOS apps.”

According to the Telegraph:

When an app wants to access the camera, for example to scan a credit card or take a profile picture during the set-up process, the iPhone user must give the app permission, in the same way that apps must ask to access the camera roll, location and contacts and to send notifications. Once allowed, it has to be turned off via the settings menu.

Does it really require security researchers to believe that the new iPhone can take pictures of you without your knowledge?

Smart phones have been capable of this type of thing for a long time now. Mark Zuckerberg himself covers his computer camera and microphone with tape.

The only difference now is, the iPhone camera is high tech. It can create 3 dimensional facial recognition profiles. Apps may find it even easier to extract even more data now.

Every person should tape their smart phone cameras and microphone, and keep the tape on at all times except when taking a picture or talking on the phone.

For much deeper info on the big picture of where issues like this lead, watch this.

(Image credit: 9 to mac)