Apple Inc said on Wednesday it had blocked Facebook Inc from accessing a program designed to allow businesses to monitor the iPhones used by their employees.
According to Apple, the largest social network used the program to record the online habits of teenagers.
Apple has certain certificates that allow businesses to have full control over their employees' iPhones.
Certificates allow companies to remotely install apps, monitor device and app usage, and even erase company-owned data stored on iPhones.
Apple designed this program (Developer Enterprise Program) for companies whose staff use iPhones for internal operations. Privacy requirements do not allow the program to be used on phones that are for personal use.
Apple bans Facebook: How did the story begin?
On Tuesday, TechCrunch reported that Facebook was paying users as young as 13 to install an app called Facebook Research. The app used Apple tools and asked the iPhone user for permission to install virtual private network software that could track browsing habits.
After the revelation, Apple cut off Facebook access to this program, stating that the program was "exclusively for internal distribution of applications within an organization.".
“Facebook is using its users to distribute a data-collecting app to consumers, which is a clear violation of its agreement with Apple.”
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