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> Oh they could, I mean Apple could just keep killing their accounts they create but is FB ballsy enough to keep opening them? Enterprise developer accounts (t

> Oh they could, I mean Apple could just keep killing their accounts they create but is FB ballsy enough to keep opening them? Enterprise developer accounts (the ones that can issue apps signed such that they can be sideloaded on any device) aren't something just anyone can go online and sign up for-- they require manual approval with proof of a business's identity before they're created. So, unless Facebook starts opening well-disguised shell companies or something along those lines to circumvent any restrictions Apple might put on them, this will be over as soon as Apple revokes Facebook's enterprise distribution account. (Or, more likely, threatens Facebook into dropping the VPN app, because FB probably doesn't want to lose the ability to distribute legitimate internal-use apps to their employees.)

joshstrange 8y ago
> Enterprise developer accounts (the ones that can issue apps signed such that they can be sideloaded on any device) aren't something just anyone can go online and sign up for-- they require manual approval with proof of a business's identity before they're created. It's my understanding that faking these business identities is the entire business model of iOS sideloaded services (see the subreddit for examples [0]) so I don't think it's that difficult to do. That said, I'd be shocked if Apple let them go that far as to keep spinning out fake businesses but then again if FB thinks it can get away with it what's stopping them? [0] https://www.reddit.com/r/sideloaded/ https://www.reddit.com/r/sideloaded/
- morpheuskafka 8y ago
  That would be getting into serious fraud, arguably criminal under CFAA. Normally Apple isn't interested in prosecuting these people as its just sideloading, which is some minor copyright violations and a security risk in their view, but if Facebook did it after having been banned themselves, having a written statement from Apple that these apps were violating, and then they go and pay a third party or deliberately make a shell company to defraud Apple? That could provoke a total business embargo between the companies which would suffocate FB.
zimpenfish 8y ago
> as soon as Apple revokes Facebook's enterprise distribution account Good call. https://seekingalpha.com/news/3427520-apple-banning-facebooks-info-sucking-research-app https://seekingalpha.com/news/3427520-apple-banning-facebook... > Apple says. "Any developer using their enterprise certificates to distribute apps to consumers will have their certificates revoked, which is what we did in this case to protect our users and their data.”

joshstrange 8y ago

> Enterprise developer accounts (the ones that can issue apps signed such that they can be sideloaded on any device) aren't something just anyone can go online and sign up for-- they require manual approval with proof of a business's identity before they're created. It's my understanding that faking these business identities is the entire business model of iOS sideloaded services (see the subreddit for examples [0]) so I don't think it's that difficult to do. That said, I'd be shocked if Apple let them go that far as to keep spinning out fake businesses but then again if FB thinks it can get away with it what's stopping them? [0] https://www.reddit.com/r/sideloaded/ https://www.reddit.com/r/sideloaded/

morpheuskafka 8y ago
That would be getting into serious fraud, arguably criminal under CFAA. Normally Apple isn't interested in prosecuting these people as its just sideloading, which is some minor copyright violations and a security risk in their view, but if Facebook did it after having been banned themselves, having a written statement from Apple that these apps were violating, and then they go and pay a third party or deliberately make a shell company to defraud Apple? That could provoke a total business embargo between the companies which would suffocate FB.

zimpenfish 8y ago

> as soon as Apple revokes Facebook's enterprise distribution account Good call. https://seekingalpha.com/news/3427520-apple-banning-facebooks-info-sucking-research-app https://seekingalpha.com/news/3427520-apple-banning-facebook... > Apple says. "Any developer using their enterprise certificates to distribute apps to consumers will have their certificates revoked, which is what we did in this case to protect our users and their data.”