Over the past week, you've probably heard a little something about the iOS app "Path," which allows users to share life events with friends and family through social networks. It was found last week that Path had been sending users' entire address books to its servers, without informing the user or asking for permission. Since then, the contact information has been removed from Path's servers and the app has been updated, but the issue still sheds light on how iOS handles certain privacy features.

In a statement issued to All Things D earlier today, an Apple spokesperson has confirmed that in a future software update, apps will be required to request permission from users to access their address book. This will be similar to how location services work on iOS in the sense that an app must first gain approval from the user to find their location.

“Apps that collect or transmit a user’s contact data without their prior permission are in violation of our guidelines,” Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr told AllThingsD. “We’re working to make this even better for our customers, and as we have done with location services, any app wishing to access contact data will require explicit user approval in a future software release.”