Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Apple and Google, charging that both steal users' private contacts and photos without users' consent.

Schumer, whose plea was prompted by recent reports that both Apple's iOS and Google's Android platforms accessed such data, lobbed a letter to the FTC, asking it to intervene. "These uses go well beyond what a reasonable user understands himself to be consenting to when he allows an app to access data on the phone for purposes of the app's functionality," Schumer wrote in the letter. "When someone takes a private photo, on a private cell phone, it should remain just that: private."

Such usage violates both Apple's and Google's terms of service, Schumer argues. While Apple could not be reached for comment, Google offered the following statement:

“We originally designed the Android photos file system similar to those of other computing platforms like Windows and Mac OS. At the time, images were stored on a SD card, making it easy for someone to remove the SD card from a phone and put it in a computer to view or transfer those images. As phones and tablets have evolved to rely more on built-in, non-removable memory, we're taking another look at this and considering adding a permission for apps to access images. We've always had policies in place to remove any apps on Android Market that improperly access your data.”

The request comes as Google is already undergoing an FTC investigation over various issues, including privacy. In a press release explaining the move, Schumer noted that the inclusion of Google and Android came after a New York Times story explained how apps on Android can access users' photos and copy them on a remote server. That report surfaced after another Times story outlined how app makers using Apple's iOS could also access photos, which followed reports that an iOS security hole let app developers download users' contact lists.

“It sends shivers up the spine to think that one’s personal photos, address book, and who-knows-what-else can be obtained and even posted online – without consent," Schumer wrote. "If the technology exists to open the door to this kind of privacy invasion, then surely technology exists to close it, and that’s exactly what must happen."

What do you think? Should the FTC step in on this issue? Sound off in the comments.

Image courtesy of Flickr, david_shankbone