Apple has banned an app that let people monitor others’ activity on Instagram.
The action comes a month after Instagram had tried to force the app to shut down after accusing it of scraping people’s data without their consent.
Like Patrol’s Mexico-based developer insists the app merely utilised public data and Sergio Luis Quintero told the BBC that he now plans to challenge Apple’s ban.
“We plan to appeal this decision in the coming days,” he said.
He added that he also intended to make Like Patrol’s code open source so that others could reproduce its functionality.
Mr Quintero had described Like Patrol as being a version of the tab “on steroids”.
“Great tool to keep track of my teenagers… without them thinking I’m being nosy,” read one review on Apple’s App Store.
But several technology blogs said it encouraged ”creepy behavior.”
Instagram itself said the software had violated its policies.
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But Mr Quintero said he did not accept the firm’s criticism, adding that there is a strong hypocrisy in Facebook’s condemnation of our app.
He said, “Like Patrol does not collect data from Instagram users, it provides the users with a tool to rearrange information that is already available to them.
“Everything the user sees lives only in the user’s device, we do not have a login, we do not centralise any information, if the user deletes the app every bit of data he was able to see in Like Patrol is deleted.”
While Apple has blocked new users from downloading the app, it is not wiping it from iPhones it has already been loaded on to. So, in theory, Like Patrol could continue serving its existing members.”
“This app may well be gone but there are undoubtedly many more still out there,” said Lisa Forte, founder of Red Goat Cyber Security.
“Our data and privacy is valuable. Apps like this one can be hugely intrusive.
“Be very cautious with what apps you decide to download and always keep your phone updated.”
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