Apple has removed a "few" apps from its iTunes App Store including some ad-blockers, due to them installing their own root certificate that would have allowed the software's developers to view their users' encrypted Internet traffic. The tech giant removed the applications due to their making users' personal data vulnerable, but is working out the conditions by which the developers' apps can return to the online store.
An Apple spokeswoman said in an statement that the maker of iPhones, iPads, and Macs is dedicated to its customers' security and privacy, according to Reuters. It is working closely with the apps' developers.
Ad-blockers were among the apps being taken down from the store. They could use the root certificates to check Web traffic going through them by avoiding encryption, instead of passing through Apple's iOS and OS X root certificates.
These removed ad blockers differ from the content blockers that Apple allows in iOS 9. The latter blocks advertisements in the Safari browser, on smartphones and tablets running the latest operating system.
Apps yanked from the App Store are technically not malware. However their operation resembles hack attacks because the user is aware of it and involves a third party's access to encrypted traffic, according to Tech Crunch.
It seems that the Been Choice app has been removed from the App Store. It was ironically able to block ads in native apps including Apple News.
The third-party certificate seems to be a big reason Apple gave some apps the boot. Another one is secretly routing Web traffic through external third-party servers and exposing users to data breach vulnerabilities, differing from a Virtual Private Network (VPN).