"Theft" of YOUR personal address book by facebook and twitter (and others)

Just read these articles:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17051910
http://venturebeat.com/2012/02/14/iphone-address-book/

Summary:
iPhone and smartphone apps are copying your personal address book info with all your contacts, names, emails, phone numbers, and sending that data to 3rd party companies... that STORE that data on their servers --- and all this without telling you and asking for your permission.

Corollary:
Careful using facebook and twitter apps (and similar) on your smartphone unless you (and your contacts!) are happy sharing that data with facebook and twitter (and whoever else they share this data with!). Look out for any option called "find friends" which is a euphemism for "give us all your contact data, incl. names, addresses, emails and telephone numbers!"

Yes, it is one thing pinching YOUR email address if YOU allowed an app access to "your" data... but it is something completely different if that app is harvesting your whole address book and sends that data the 3rd parties without your knowledge and agreement. (And agreement of the people IN that database).

If I send an email or sms to Y, I don't like the idea that Y might have one of these apps running on their smartphone and consequently MY DETAILS incl. email and mobil number gets given away when I have always denied these companies access to data about me and my contacts.

That MY privacy is compromised by someone else who is less careful is just not acceptable nor ethical. If I have specifically DENIED access to 3rd party companies having access to my data, then I don't like the fact that these companies can back-door to my data through someone elses addressbook.

This is breach of privacy and I think it is only a question of time before this hits a court in the EU.