Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple Aims for Greater Transparency With Comprehensive New Privacy Site

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
63,795
31,272



Apple today launched a new privacy site that outlines all of the privacy features of Apple's products and services, offers tips on managing privacy, details government information requests, and explicitly states Apple's Privacy Policy.

appleprivacysite.jpg
The site comes alongside a letter on privacy from Apple CEO Tim Cook, who says that the company respects user privacy and protects it with "strong encryption." Privacy and security are of the utmost importance to Apple, according to Cook, and the company designs all of its hardware, software, and services with privacy in mind.

In the letter, Tim Cook says that Apple is aiming to be more transparent about what happens with personal information, detailing how and why it is used by the company. Cook also states plainly that Apple aims to sell great products, not collect user information.
We're publishing this website to explain how we handle your personal information, what we do and don't collect, and why. We're going to make sure you get updates here about privacy at Apple at least once a year and whenever there are significant changes to our policies.

A few years ago, users of Internet services began to realize that when an online service is free, you're not the customer. You're the product. But at Apple, we believe a great customer experience shouldn't come at the expense of your privacy.

Our business model is very straightforward: We sell great products. We don't build a profile based on your email content or web browsing habits to sell to advertisers. We don't "monetize" the information you store on your iPhone or in iCloud. And we don't read your email or your messages to get information to market to you. Our software and services are designed to make our devices better. Plain and simple.
Click to expand...
The first section of Apple's new privacy site details the privacy built into "the things you use every day." The site gives information on the ways apps and services are protected and the data that Apple can collect. Services detailed include iMessage, FaceTime, iCloud, Safari, Maps, Siri, Mail, Apps and the App Store, Apple Pay, Health, HomeKit, Spotlight Suggestions, and Randomized Wi-Fi addresses.

For example, Apple states that it cannot access content in the Messages app due to the encryption, and it explains how iCloud data is encrypted.

A second Privacy section is clearly the result of a recent hacking incident that saw several celebrity iCloud accounts compromised. In the section, Apple suggests ways users can improve the security of their devices, pointing towards passcodes, Touch ID, and Find My iPhone.

Apple also instructs users how to create a strong password, how to create proper security questions, and it directs them to turn on two-step verification. In addition, it details phishing scams, suggests users change their passwords on a regular basis, and tells them to keep an eye out for emails sent after Apple ID login attempts.

pwprivacy.jpg
The final two sections of Apple's privacy site explicitly outline all government data requests that the company has received and offer details on Apple's privacy policy. The site lists examples of the personal information that Apple collects and exactly how that personal information is used. According to Cook, the new site is the result of a "commitment to protecting your privacy." "We know that your trust doesn't come easy," writes the CEO, "That's why we have and always will work as hard as we can to earn and keep it."

Article Link: Apple Aims for Greater Transparency With Comprehensive New Privacy Site
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2014/09/17/apple-new-privacy-site/
K

kerrikins

macrumors 65816
Sep 22, 2012
1,242
530
Good for them. As much as people dismiss the idea of privacy being important anymore, it's still important to me and I'm glad that Apple cares about it. It's one of the reasons why I minimise my use of other services and use Apple instead.
 
pwhitehead

pwhitehead

macrumors 6502
Jul 19, 2011
342
100
new jersey
I think the one thing people really make the mistake on is editing their settings before really digging in and using their phone. Editing iCloud settings so pictures and personal items aren't exposed to the cloud is or starters.

The first thing I do when I get a new apple device is edit these settings and the only thing I have transferred to iCloud is my apps and contacts and nothing more.
 
S

samcraig

macrumors P6
Jun 22, 2009
16,779
41,982
USA
Nice page. I'm surprised it took this long. Given their pages about environment and supplier responsibility...

----------
Service Droid said:
Small jab at Google in there mentioning how they don't use your info to target ads at you.
Click to expand...

Well kind of stupid in my opinion to call it out. While their business model might not be about using info to target ads, how do they explain iAds and how they work?

Truth is - iAds hasn't been a success and they would have really liked to have a revenue stream (not business model) like Google and other ad delivery platforms have. But they don't.
 
cmaier

cmaier

Suspended
Jul 25, 2007
25,405
33,471
California
samcraig said:
Nice page. I'm surprised it took this long. Given their pages about environment and supplier responsibility...

----------



Well kind of stupid in my opinion to call it out. While their business model might not be about using info to target ads, how do they explain iAds and how they work?

Truth is - iAds hasn't been a success and they would have really liked to have a revenue stream (not business model) like Google and other ad delivery platforms have. But they don't.
Click to expand...

How do they explain iAds? Quite well. They explain it on that website. Give it a read.
 
miamialley

miamialley

macrumors 68040
Jul 28, 2008
3,512
989
California, USA
How do they define "multiple, identical, consecutive characters?"

11 is not okay?

neither is

tt?

or do they mean 11 can't appear twice? as in XX11XXX11
 
X

xero9

macrumors 6502a
Nov 7, 2006
863
486
One thing that I think they worded interesting is this bit:

Apple has no way to decrypt iMessage and FaceTime data when it’s in transit between devices
Click to expand...

I read this as it's encrypted when I send and when the other party receives it, however, for that time that it's sitting on an Apple server, it's readable.
 
V

vpndev

macrumors 6502
May 11, 2009
288
98
user-accessible

Most companies disguise their privacy policies in obfuscating legalese.

This is crisp and to the point. Well done, Apple.
 
jlake02

jlake02

macrumors 68020
Nov 2, 2008
2,259
1
L.A.
kerrikins said:
Good for them. As much as people dismiss the idea of privacy being important anymore, it's still important to me and I'm glad that Apple cares about it. It's one of the reasons why I minimise my use of other services and use Apple instead.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Makes me feel better about being an Apple customer. Let's just hope the future reality of the situation proves their claims to be correct.
 
Rogifan

Rogifan

macrumors Penryn
Nov 14, 2011
24,336
31,469
xero9 said:
One thing that I think they worded interesting is this bit:



I read this as it's encrypted when I send and when the other party receives it, however, for that time that it's sitting on an Apple server, it's readable.
Click to expand...

On the Charlie Rose show Cook was adamant that Apple can't ever read your iMessages.
 
cmaier

cmaier

Suspended
Jul 25, 2007
25,405
33,471
California
samcraig said:
Lovely obtuse answer. You mean this page? http://advertising.apple.com/


Again - how do you think Apple delivers an audience to the advertiser?
Click to expand...

No. The privacy page that is the subject of this story talks about iAd.

Limit targeted interest-based ads.
Our business does not depend on advertising. For many companies, it does. On iOS, advertising does support some apps, so to help protect your privacy we have developed the nonpersistent Advertising Identifier. Apple’s advertising service, iAd, uses this identifier to deliver ads to you via things like third-party apps and iTunes Radio. The Advertising Identifier helps advertisers control the number of times you see a given ad, measure the effectiveness of ad campaigns, and unless you choose to opt out, can be used to try and serve ads more relevant to you.

Whenever you want to clear the data associated with your Advertising Identifier, you can simply reset it. This is another example of our commitment to do away with persistent identifiers on mobile devices. If you’d rather not see mobile ads tailored to your interests, you can choose to limit ad tracking with a simple on/off switch. When Limit Ad Tracking is turned on, third-party apps are forbidden by Apple’s guidelines to use the Advertising Identifier to serve you targeted ads. As part of submission to our App Store, Apple requires all developers to agree that they abide by your choice to Limit Ad Tracking. iAd abides by Limit Ad Tracking wherever ads are served, and does not serve interest-based ads to users under the age of 13. Learn more about opting out of interest-based ads
 
B

bigpoppamac31

macrumors 68020
Aug 16, 2007
2,452
432
Canada
Rogifan said:
On the Charlie Rose show Cook was adamant that Apple can't ever read your iMessages.
Click to expand...

I'm skeptical on that. Same with iCloud. I'm sure Apple can view anyones iCloud content anytime they want to. It's why I don't use iCloud or any other "cloud" service.
 
V

vpndev

macrumors 6502
May 11, 2009
288
98
xero9 said:
One thing that I think they worded interesting is this bit:



I read this as it's encrypted when I send and when the other party receives it, however, for that time that it's sitting on an Apple server, it's readable.
Click to expand...

I believe that you misunderstand it, but it's also possible that I do. But I don't think so.

My understanding is that Apple intermediates the setup between the two endpoints but is then not involved in the subsequent messaging. The messages (FaceTime or whatever) are encrypted with ephemeral (transient) keys established during the setup, and known only to the endpoints. So the messages travel encrypted end-to-end and Apple does not have the key. Only you and the recipient have them.

Another possible way to do this would be for the traffic to be encrypted using one key between you and Apple servers, and then re-encrypted using another key between Apple servers and the destination. In this scenario, the messages would be readable while on the Apple server during the intermediate phase. Apple has specifically said that this is NOT what they do, despite some obvious operational simplicity.

In the interest of full disclosure, I must point out that some security analysts have pointed out that there is a possibility in this scheme for Apple to subvert the key-agreement process and obtain a copy for itself of the agreed key. I agree that this is possible but Apple has unequivocally denied that it does this, and I am prepared to accept that assurance. If we accept that as true then there is never any "readable"(plain-text) copy of the message except at the source and destination.
 
S

samcraig

macrumors P6
Jun 22, 2009
16,779
41,982
USA
cmaier said:
No. The privacy page that is the subject of this story talks about iAd.
Click to expand...

Either you're being obtuse on purpose or have missed my point. The fact that a user can control how much they are targeted or not does not negate the fact that Apple does, indeed, collect enough information about you in order for iAds to be able to be targeted.Just like any other ad delivery service.

Given iAds popularity however, I wouldn't (as a consumer) be too worried :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom