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Apple Fined $11 Million in Italy for Employing 'Aggressive Methods' in Commercial Use of Private Data
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Sounds like lazy enforcement. Rather than providing evidence, they accuse the company then make the company prove they are not in violation.
Apple broke the law but it's Italy's fault somehow. I guess laws like taxes are for the little people only.
There are specific details in the watchdog's findings linked to at the bottom of the article. Skip to section 2 where the watchdog goes through the process of creating an Apple ID and what messages and information Apple provides at the time.
At the moment, it's a matter for the lawyers as to whether Apple is being sufficiently upfront about its usage of user data at the time of Apple ID creation in a manner that affords the user a realistic option of opting in or out in line with the GDPR.
Still, Italy's fine is stupid, Apple should sue them themselves, I don't want another Italy fining people/companies for no freaking reason
"No freaking reason"
There is a judgement on this. There is a reason, which the judgement expounds on in writing in great depth. You can agree or disagree according to your own biases or, exceptionally, your own expansive knowledge of and experience with the Italian legal system but "no freaking reason" is plainly fatuous here.
I just find Italy's point away to buck off big tech companies which can easily be used for a much greater cause in the human world, seriously, 11 million for Apple's privacy issue, they even have generalized ads on their App store, I just hate when Italy government or any government provides an extremely vague/weak argument which is what I refer to no freaking reason. 11 million dollars could easily go to donate to team seas and we'll be a step closer in removing plastics from our ocean
Tbh, if you really want to be cynical about this, $11m is a tiny, tiny drop in the ocean compared to the tax Apple doesn't pay within Italy for the sales it generates solely within Italy. I doubt Apple is losing a second's sleep over the fine. It is more concerned with the principle of culpability set out in the judgement lest it lead to further investigations about how Apple operates within the Italian market. Italy has barely flipped Apple the bird, let alone slapped its wrist here and people are reacting as if Apple has been stripped bare.
If you are truly concerned about the environment, don't buy glued up electronics that cannot be repaired or upgraded. Apple's green credentials are threadbare at the moment.
Well it's true most electronic consumer devices that would get some abuse have glued up electronics. Apple isn't the only one that does that. But it's a trade-off against form and function and environment that all manufacturers have to make. But no Apple has plenty of green credentials, it's just that, like all of us, they are not perfect.
You raise a good point, so I thought you might be interested in this:
A landmark year of giving from Apple
How Apple recorded a landmark year in giving while helping nonprofits worldwide meet 2020’s biggest challenges.
www.apple.com
Apple pays all countries taxes though, and yes 11 million is not a lot, but considering all of Italy's lawsuits to Apple, most of them weak, it literally adds up to 1/3 of their total revenue of Italy for iPhone sales to Italy that would probably not do anything valuable to the world with that money, and Apple might not too, but that's not my point as when Italy can get away with this, other governments follow suit, and soon it gets passed onto its consumers that gets fined little by little "pocket money" that can be donated to charity like what Apple could achieve without getting this stupid fine