Despite the promise of Apple’s iPhone Analytics privacy setting to not collect user data if switched off. In November, Gizmodo revealed research which suggested that this was indeed happening. Despite attempts from journalists to acquire a response on the matter, thus far no comment has been provided by Apple.
After a California iPhone user initiated a class-action lawsuit, we reached out to Apple for comment. Tests revealed that the data contained personally identifiable information, conflicting with one of their policies. Despite multiple attempts at contact, they remained silent on this issue.
On Friday, legal action was taken against Apple by another Pennsylvania iPhone user concerning their alleged analytics privacy breach. As of now there has yet to be a response from the tech giant on this matter.
After months of silence, Apple’s dedication to customer privacy seems increasingly questioned. Despite a long-running PR effort around data protection – even with its memorable slogans such as “Privacy. That’s iPhone” and “What happens on your iPhone, stays on your iPhone” – the company has yet to address what looks like an obvious discrepancy between their policies and actions.
Apple is facing legal action for allegedly disregarding its customers’ wishes, with a lawsuit claiming that the tech giant has violated state wiretapping and privacy laws by collecting personal data without permission. This allegation suggests Apple may have been secretly harvesting user information despite consumers’ attempts to block such activities within their device settings.
Mysk – Software Development Company
To protect user privacy, iPhone offers the option to turn off Device Analytics. When selected, this setting will stop all sharing of data within device applications and services. Apple’s analytics policy may have promised users that none of the collected information identifies them personally, but researchers from Mysk revealed it wasn’t so. Testing showed the collected info actually allowed for personal identification after all.
Mysk’s tests uncovered the unnerving reality that Apple apps still collect and send detailed real-time data – no matter if you turn off your settings or not. These apps send highly detailed real-time information about every action you make, ranging from keystrokes and taps to page visits times and ads viewed. For Example, searches and download of the app on the App Store reveals a variety of details including religion, sexual orientation and even mental health conditions such as addiction or substance abuse.
Apple may claim its data is anonymous, but there’s a permanent ID number linked to your iCloud account that links the data to your name, phone number and email address.
Apple is under increased public scrutiny for its data collection practices, with the company recently being fined $8.5 million in France due to their unauthorized harvesting of users’ personal information for targeted ads. Apple’s reputation for privacy safeguards is frequently more conscientious than its tech competitors. However, with the acceleration in Apple’s advertising activities, we could be seeing a shift towards data collection and increased scrutiny from regulators in the near future.
