Apple pulls Been Choice ad blocker App

Apple has pulled the first app to allow iPhone users to block advertisements in mobile apps.

Been Choice, an ad blocker ad was launched in the US this month, which will eliminate ads only within the web browsers.

 Apple raised customer security concerns related to the way the apps intercepted user’s internet traffic especially Been Choice disrupted SSL security protocol which is used by Facebook, Google, Pinterest and Yahoo to encrypt data that passes between mobile devices and their own servers.

David Yoon co-founder of Been Choice, said the company was correcting and modifying its apps following Apple’s recommendations and concerns. They are due resubmit the new version for “expedited approval”.

Mr Yoon however, denied his was app was insecure and said the company protected users by encrypting their data and sending it through a VPN and the data were only briefly decrypted on the company’s servers. End to end encryption need to be guaranteed to comply for any app to be on the Apple Store.

Been Choice’s services would work only after installing a root certificate or digital signature from its own servers on to the mobile devices. This allows company to route the internet traffic via its own servers, where it is decrypted and the ads filtered out through a process known as ad deep picket inspection.