Yesterday it was revealed that the popular social networking app Path was uploading entire iPhone address books to the company’s server. The data uploaded included full names, phone numbers and email addresses, and the app uploaded all this data without ever asking for permission. Dave Morin, Path’s co-founder and CEO, admitted fault on Wednesday through the company’s website and announced an update to allow users to either opt in or out of the contact collection feature. “We believe you should have control when it comes to sharing your personal information. We also believe that actions speak louder than words,” Morin said. “So, as a clear signal of our commitment to your privacy, we’ve deleted the entire collection of user uploaded contact information from our servers. Your trust matters to us and we want you to feel completely in control of your information on Path.” The company maintains that when data is transmitted to its servers, it is always sent securely through an encrypted connection and protected by industry-standard firewalls.

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Path, the popular social network that competes with the likes of Instagram, may be uploading your iPhone’s entire address book up to its servers. Arun Thampi from mclov.in noticed the Path app’s steal data dump while trying to create a Mac OS X application for the social network during a hackathon. “Upon inspecting closer, I noticed that my entire address book (including full names, emails and phone numbers) was being sent as a plist to Path,” Thampi said, noting that Path didn’t ever ask for permission to do so. It’s unclear why Path is uploading the iPhone’s entire address book, but Thampi noticed that the social network performs the action during an API call with basic HTTP authentication. It remains unclear if Path’s Android application is also guilty of uploading personal information. Thampi has instructions on how to catch Path in the action on his blog.

UPDATE: A response from Path’s CEO follows after the break.

Arun, thanks for pointing this out. We actually think this is an important conversation and take this very seriously. We upload the address book to our servers in order to help the user find and connect to their friends and family on Path quickly and effeciently as well as to notify them when friends and family join Path. Nothing more.

We believe that this type of friend finding & matching is important to the industry and that it is important that users clearly understand it, so we proactively rolled out an opt-in for this on our Android client a few weeks ago and are rolling out the opt-in for this in 2.0.6 of our iOS Client, pending App Store approval.

Dave Morin
Co-Founder and CEO of Path

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Twitter announced recently that it now has the ability to, and will begin to, censor content on the social network by country. “As we continue to grow internationally, we will enter countries that have different ideas about the contours of freedom of expression,” the company said in a blog post Thursday. “Some differ so much from our ideas that we will not be able to exist there.” Twitter gave France and Germany as examples, two countries that ban pro-Nazi rhetoric from being posted on the Internet. Previously, Twitter would have had to delete specific content worldwide in order to prevent it from being visible, but it can now remove content on a country-by-country basis. Read on for more.

The company’s announcement has caused some to worry Twitter might cross a line that is already blurred. For example, the new policy could prohibit a country’s citizens from using Twitter as a means to band together and stage an uprising. No doubt much of 2011′s Arab Spring uprisings were fueled by social networks such as Twitter and Facebook, and censorship could have killed the powerful voices that helped topple a number of regimes.

“We haven’t yet used this ability, but if and when we are required to withhold a Tweet in a specific country, we will attempt to let the user know, and we will clearly mark when the content has been withheld,” Twitter said. “One of our core values as a company is to defend and respect each user’s voice. We try to keep content up wherever and whenever we can, and we will be transparent with users when we can’t. The Tweets must continue to flow.”

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Facebook on Wednesday evening announced new applications that can be used to populate users’ Facebook Timelines with new information. The initial launch apps include Foodspotting, Foodily, Ticketmaster, Pinterest,Rotten Tomatoes, Pose, Kobo, Gogobot, TripAdvisor and several others. “If you’re a traveler, you can add the Gogobot and TripAdvisor apps to bring a virtual passport to your timeline, and show your friends where you’ve been and share tips about your favorite spots from around the world,” Facebook product manager Carl Sjogreen explained in a blog post. Thankfully, Facebook has added an option that allows users to choose exactly who can see the updates from each application, which means Timelines shouldn’t be too flooded with updates about what an old friend from highschool has been cooking for dinner all week. Sjogreen also said more applications for additional interests will be added over time.

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We’ve already seen an 11-minute walk-through video comparing a new Windows 8 beta tablet to an iPad 2 running iOS 5, but there are plenty of features Microsoft is cooking up that didn’t make it into the beta release of the OS. In a new video, Microsoft highlights a handful of currently unavailable applications that make use of the oft-praised Metro user interface Windows 8 borrowed from the Windows Phone platform. In the video, Microsoft shows off several apps including Mail, Calendar, People, Messaging and Photos, which features seamless Facebook and Flickr integration. The People application also features Facebook integration, pulling Facebook friends and address book contacts into a single stream. Microsoft’s full demo video follows below.

Flipboard, the company behind the popular like-named social magazine application for the iPad, plans to add TV shows, books and movie content, Reuters reported on Thursday. The company’s app has been downloaded more than 3 million times, and it offers articles from several popular magazines including Rolling Stone and National Geographic. Users can view articles alongside customized news and social network feeds, too. Flipboard CEO Mike McCue told Reuters that he hopes to add TV shows and movies by the end of the year but has not discussed who his company is teaming up with to deliver the content just yet. It is also still unclear when McCue will add books to the app. A version of the software for the iPhone and iPod touch will be launching in the coming weeks and we’re excited to see how it performs on the iPhone’s smaller screen.

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Facebook is expecting to acquire a total of 20 new companies in 2011 in an effort to better compete with Twitter and Google, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. The social network purchased 10 new companies last year and just one in 2009, but has already acquired 13 various firms this year. Most recently, Facebook purchased the group-messaging service Beluga, which was created by several former Google employees, and re-released it as the “Facebook Messenger” product for the iPhone and Android smartphones. In an interview with Bloomberg, Facebook’s director of corporate development Vaughan Smith explained the strategy behind Facebook’s acquisitions. “Two years ago we didn’t have a track record in acquisitions,” Smith said. “While we expected them to work well, it was still a crapshoot how they’d turn out. We’ve built a culture that supports entrepreneurs, and it’s working incredibly well.” Facebook other big purchases this year include Snaptu, design firm Sofa and Push Pop Press.

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Sony Ericsson on Monday unveiled its latest Android smartphone, dubbed “Live with Walkman.” With a name almost as catchy as Nokia’s failed “Comes with Music” offering, the new Live with Walkman smartphone is powered by Google’s Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system and a 1GHz processor. Other spec highlights include a 3.2-inch touchscreen display, a 5-megapixel camera, Sony’s xLOUD audio and a Walkman music experience featuring integration with various social networks. “Consumers want smartphones to deliver a rich and social entertainment experience. Rather than a one dimensional music experience, they want instant and seamless access to new content, combined with the ability to share and connect with their friends,” said Sony Ericsson’s head of product marketing Nikolaus Scheurer in a statement. ”The Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman provides exactly this, in a powerful package with great style.” Sony Ericsson’s full press release follows below.

Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman delivers unique social music experience for smartphones

22 August 2011

• Smartphone with Walkman™ on the latest Android platform (Gingerbread 2.3)
• Unique Facebook™ integration enables instant music and media sharing
• Content services from Sony provide access to the latest music and video titles

22 August 2011, London, UK – Sony Ericsson today announced Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman™, an Android smartphone that delivers a unique social music experience. A dedicated Walkman™ hardware button provides instant access to the music player and consumers can also like, share and discover content through a deep Facebook™ integration. The infinite button lets the consumer explore even more and the *Qriocity service from Sony provides music and video content for the consumer to enjoy.

With attractive curved design, a glossy finish and a mineral glass display, the phone has a 3.2” screen and a powerful 1Ghz processor. A front facing camera is enabled for Skype video calling, while a 5MP AF camera can capture 720p HD video recording. *Sony’s xLOUD™ enhances audio  output, while the latest Android platform for smartphones (Gingerbread 2.3) provides access to over 250,000 applications on the Android Market™.

Nikolaus Scheurer, Head of Product Marketing, Sony Ericsson said: “Consumers want smartphones to deliver a rich and social entertainment experience. Rather than a one dimensional music experience, they want instant and seamless access to new content, combined with the ability to share and connect with their friends. The Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman™ provides exactly this, in a powerful package with great style.”

A perfect combination of social networking and music entertainment:

• Deep Facebook™ integration: Allows users to instantly access Facebook through the most used areas of the phone such as the picture gallery, music player, phonebook and calendar.
• Media Discovery Application: A dynamic application placing the world of music and videos at consumer’s fingertips including Facebook™ recommendations from their friends.
• Infinite button: Tapping it within the media player enables consumers to have instant access to new content about their favourite artist, such as music videos, artist information and lyrics search.
• Qriocity music and video content services from Sony: Consumers can access millions of songs from all major labels and watch thousands of movies from all major studios. Only Sony Ericsson Android smartphones provide consumers with unique access to the  entertainment services from *Sony.
• *Sony’s xLOUD™ technology: Enhances audio output of the inbuilt speakers at high levels.
• TrackID™: Identifies the music track you are listening to within the FM radio and music player. The track can then instantly be shared or downloaded.

Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman™ will be available globally in selected markets from Q4 2011.
For full details all products news, please visit the press room and the product blog:

http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/corporate/press/pressreleases/latestnews

http://blogs.sonyericsson.com/products/

Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman™ at a glance.
*Please note that all services mentioned may not be available in every market.

Colours

• Black and White

Facts

• Size: 56.5 x 106 x 14.2 mm
• Weight: 115 g

Camera

• 5 megapixel camera
• 8x digital zoom
• Auto focus
• Face detection
• Flash/Photo light
• Flash/Photo flash
• Flash/LED
• Front-facing camera (VGA)
• Geo tagging
• HD video recording (720p)
• Image stabiliser
• Red-eye reduction
• Scene detection
• Self-timer
• Send to web
• Smile detection
• Touch capture
• Touch focus
• Video light
• Video recording

Music

• Album art
• Bluetooth™ stereo (A2DP)
• Music tones (MP3/AAC)
• PlayNow™ service
• Stereo speakers
• TrackID™ music recognition
• Walkman™ player
• xLOUD™

Internet

• Android Market™
• Bookmarks
• Google™ search
• Google Voice™ Search
• NeoReader™ barcode scanner
• Pan & zoom
• Web browser (WebKit)

Communication

• Call list
• Conference calls
• Facebook™ application
• Google Talk™
• Polyphonic ringtones
• Skype
• Sony Ericsson Timescape™
• Speakerphone
• Twitter™ (Timescape™ integration)
• Vibrating alert
• Video chat ready

Messaging

• Conversations
• Email
• Google Mail™
• Handwriting recognition
• Instant messaging
• Multimedia messaging (MMS)
• Predictive text input
• Sound recorder
• Text messaging (SMS)
• Type & Send widget

Design

• Auto rotation
• Four-corner Home screen
• Keyboard (on-screen, 12-key)
• Keyboard (on-screen, QWERTY)
• Live wallpaper
• Picture wallpaper
• Touch screen

Entertainment

• 3D games
• Media browser
• Radio (FM radio with RDS)
• Video streaming
• Video viewing
• YouTube™

Organiser

• Alarm clock
• Calculator
• Calendar
• Document readers
• Emanual
• Flight mode
• Google Calendar™
• Google Gallery 3D™
• Infinite button
• Phonebook
• Setup guide
• Event
• Timer
• Widget manager

Connectivity

• 3.5 mm audio jack
• aGPS
• Bluetooth™ technology
• DLNA Certified™
• Google Latitude™
• Google Maps™ for Mobile
• Google Maps™ with Street View
• Media Transfer Protocol support
• Micro USB support
• Modem
• Native USB tethering
• Synchronisation via Facebook™
• Synchronisation via Google™ Sync
• Synchronisation via Sony Ericsson Sync
• Synchronisation with computer
• Synchronisation via Microsoft® Exchange ActiveSync®
• Synchronisation: Microsoft® Exchange ActiveSync® via Moxier client
• USB mass storage
• USB High speed 2.0 support
• USB support
• Wi-Fi™
• Wi-Fi™ Hotspot functionality
• Wisepilot™ turn-by-turn navigation

Display

• 3.2 inches
• 16,777,216 colour TFT
• 480 x 320 pixels
• Capacitive touchscreen (multi-touch)
• Scratch-resistant

Memory

• Phone memory (user-free): Up to 320MB
• Memory card support: microSD™, up to 32GB

Battery life

• Talk time GSM/GPRS: Up to 14 hrs 15 min*
• Standby time GSM/GPRS: Up to 600 hrs*

• Talk time UMTS: Up to 6 hrs 42 min*
• Standby time UMTS: Up to 850 hrs*

• Music listening time: Up to 17 hrs 30 min
• Video listening time: Up to 6 hrs 30 min

• *According to GSM Association Battery Life Measurement Technique. Battery performance may vary depending on network conditions and configurations, and phone usage.

Networks

• UMTS HSPA 850 (Band V), 1900 (Band II), 2100 (Band I)
• GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900

• UMTS HSPA 900 (Band VIII), 2100 (Band I)
• GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900

In the kit

• Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman™
• 1200 mAh battery
• stereo headset
• 2GB microSD™ memory card
• Charger
• micro USB cable for charging
• synchronisation and file transfer

user documentation

Microsoft’s Bing team took the wraps off of a new location-sharing application for Windows Phone on Thursday called “We’re in.” The application is similar to foursquare and Latitude in some respects, and yet still very different. The idea is simple: you can create an invitation that will allow your friends to share their location for a specified amount of time. Say, for example, you want to share your location and see where four of your friends are, for one hour, while you all head towards a local restaurant. You can create a quick event with “We’re in” and then send it to those friends. Once they accept, their pictures and locations will appear on Bing Maps. If you hit traffic or the train is late, you and your friends can update your status as you make your way to the restaurant. Unlike Latitude, which some people avoid for fear of location privacy issues, you can always leave the party. Better yet, when the allotted time is up, your location is automatically turned off. The application is available in the Zune Marketplace now and Microsoft says it plans on delivering it to other platforms soon, too.

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Images of Facebook’s unannounced iPad application have been leaked by TechCrunch. Reportedly, the official application has been hidden inside the iPhone app all along. We’re impressed by what we see in the leaked photos so far; there is clearly a robust gallery feature and the news feed is rich with profile photos and status updates. TechCrunch‘s MG Siegler, who has already tested the application, says that it offers an “HTML5-rich experience” and that Facebook for iPad is a vast improvement over the mobile Web interface currently available. Facebook for iPad is expected to launch soon but an exact release date is still unknown. At least we now know the social network didn’t just skip out on one completely. Read on for two more images and check the read link for a full gallery.

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Microsoft accidentally spilled the beans on a new social network it has been working on called “Tulalip.” According to VentureBeat, a splash page for the the social network appeared shortly on Socl.com on Thursday before it was immediately taken down. In an effort to conceal its mistake, Microsoft issued a statement. “Thanks for stopping by. Socl.com is an internal design project from a team in Microsoft Research which was mistakenly published to the web. We didn’t mean to, honest,” Microsoft said. It’s unclear if Tulalip is a legitimate social network or if it really is just an “internal design project,” but given the similarities between Tulalip’s user interface and the tiles found in Windows 8 and Windows Phone, it would certainly be a nice fit.

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Google’s latest social networking effort may finally be the winner the Internet giant has so desperately been looking for. The invite-only beta service launched late last month and as per the company’s statements made during its earnings call on Thursday, it has already amassed more than 10 million users in just over two weeks. According to user statistics supplied by third-party social monitors SocialStatistics and FindPeopleOnPlus, the overwhelming majority of people using Google+ so far are male. FindPeopleOnPlus tracks nearly a million Google+ profiles and it shows that about three quarters of Plus users are male. SocialStatistics uses a significantly smaller sample of about 30,000 user profiles, but it suggests that 87% of Google+ profiles belong to men. There’s no question that Google+ is the talk of the Web right now, but those looking for a network with a decent sized female population should probably look elsewhere — mySpace, perhaps?

[Via Mashable]

Read [SocialStatistics] Read [FindPeopleOnPlus]

Microsoft secretly participated in a recent $25 million funding round for Israel-based navigation solutions provider Waze, Israeli tech site TheMarker reported last week. Microsoft makes very few investments each year according to TheMarker’s source, but the tech giant apparently took quite an interest in Waze’s unique brand of navigation apps. “Waze is a social mobile application providing free turn-by-turn navigation based on the live conditions of the road. 100% powered by users, the more you drive, the better it gets,” the company’s website states. The company’s apps provide free voice-guided navigation to users, and also provide real-time data such as traffic conditions and speed trap alerts based on both automatic and manual feedback from each of Waze’s 4.5 million users around the world. While the terms of Microsoft’s investment were not revealed, the move is an interesting one — Microsoft is now in bed with Nokia, owner of navigation giant Navteq, and it will supply the OS for Nokia’s smartphones moving forward. Microsoft has already announced that it will use Navteq to power future navigation solutions in its Windows Phone OS, but it looks like a unique version of Waze for Windows Phone is in the works as well.

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AT&T on Monday announced pre-order availability of its first “Facebook Phone,” the HTC Status. Social butterflies on the nation’s No. 2 wireless carrier can pre-order the sleek smartphone for $49.99 on contract beginning immediately, and the phone will arrive in stores this Sunday, July 17th. Aimed squarely at young Facebook fanatics, the HTC Status features Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread, a QWERTY keypad, a 5-megapixel camera and a dedicated Facebook sharing button. “We can’t wait to put the HTC Status in the hands of our young customers who will waste no time tapping into Facebook to update their friends,” said AT&T Senior VP of Devices, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets Jeff Bradley in a statement.  “We’re also really pleased to offer the hottest new smartphone at an affordable price to this important, socially savvy youth market.” Also of note, Best Buy will be the exclusive purveyor of the HTC Status in a special limited edition mauve color when the phone launches next week. AT&T’s full press release follows below.

HTC Status Offers One-Touch Facebook Sharing For Just $49.99

First Mobile Phone with Dedicated Facebook Share Button Available for Preorder on ATT.com Arrives in AT&T Stores on July 17

Dallas, Texas, July 11, 2011

Key Facts

• AT&T begins presales of the HTC Status today on http://www.att.com/.
• The first phone with a dedicated Facebook share button, the HTC Status is exclusive to AT&T customers for $49.99 with a two-year contract.
• Best Buy stores to offer exclusive color.
• HTC Status available in time for back-to-school shopping season.

HTC Status

The ultimate phone for customers who love posting on Facebook what they’re doing, seeing or listening to, the HTC Status is the first phone to feature a dedicated Facebook share button.  Not just a link to a mobile Facebook application, the button lets you quickly share what you are doing on Facebook with a simple press.  It is also context aware and lights up when there is an activity to share, such as a song you are listening to, a website you are viewing or a photo you have taken.

The Facebook share button allows people to:

• Post instantly on your wall or a friend’s wall by pressing the Facebook share button from your home screen.
• Take a picture or shoot a video and share it instantly with a press of the Facebook share button. You can also post multiple pictures at one time and label and tag them before posting.  Or even post photos automatically as you’re taking them.
• Check in to Facebook Places by pressing and holding the Facebook share button from the home screen.
• Share something cool on the Web with a quick press of the Facebook share button and be the first with the news.
• Let your friends in on the music you love with the push of a button by pressing the Facebook share button to post the song title and other details.

The HTC Status runs on the Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread) platform, AT&T’s first smartphone to do so. It is also the first phone in the US with an enhanced version of HTC Sense™ that integrates Facebook into more places than ever before. Facebook content and information is integrated in the clock, dialer, calendar, address book and photo gallery. The HTC Status also features a Facebook chat application that lets you maintain your chat conversations, even when you navigate away to take a call, browse the Web or play a game.  And the Facebook chat widget shows who is available to chat and allows you to initiate a conversation with just a tap.

The HTC Status, with its uni-body design with sleek metal accents, is easy to customize to reflect your style with widgets, shortcuts and wallpapers, and its customizable lock screen lets you open your favorite application quickly when you unlock the screen.

The HTC Status also sports a 5-megapixel camera with auto-focus and LED flash on the back and a front facing camera to easily capture and share self portraits. Above the dedicated physical keyboard, HTC Status has a 2.6-inch touch screen with 480 x 320 resolution and capacitive navigation buttons.

Exclusive custom cases and a screen protector will also be available for sale with the HTC Status at AT&T company-owned retail stores.  Customers can choose from hard- and soft-shell case options from Speck and AGF. The HTC Status will be compatible with a number of universal micro-USB charging options, Bluetooth headsets and corded stereo headsets such as the IFrogz Luxe corded headsets with integrated microphone, which will be available in four colors, black, silver, pink and blue.  Accessories will also be available for sale in AT&T’s online store.

Pricing and Availability

Arriving in stores as the lead device in AT&T’s back to school promotions starting July 17, the HTC Status will be available in AT&T stores and online for $49.99 after a two-year contract. (Minimum $15 data plan required.) Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile standalone stores will feature an exclusive mauve edition.

When we last heard from social media listening firm Mashwork, we learned that future smartphone buyers were much more interested in purchasing the Samsung Galaxy S II than the 4G-friendly Motorola DROID BIONIC. Mashwork is back on Monday with some more interesting findings: according to the firm’s latest research, 45% more people prefer Netflix over Hulu Plus than vice versa. Pulling data from 10,283 relevant tweets between June 28th and July 6th, 2011, 29% of all users prefer Netflix over Hulu Plus for streaming movies and TV shows, while 20% prefer Hulu Plus over Netflix. Also of note, 51% of those accounted for in Mashwork’s study use both services and are hoping to cut the cord with their cable or satellite TV providers. Hulu certainly would like to have been positioned better in the study; Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed at a recent Allen & Co conference that Hulu owners NBCUniversal, News Corp and Disney/ABC Television Group are currently trying to sell the company. Mashwork’s full infographic follows below.

As an aside, Mashwork is looking for feedback from BGR readers. The company was blown away by the feedback it got after we covered its Galaxy S II vs. DROID BIONIC study, and it wants to know what comparisons our readers might like to see in the future. Do people want a more expensive high-end iPad 2 to compliment the current model? Does QNX really stand to right the RIM ship? Let us know what questions you want Mashwork to help answer in the comments section below.

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