Privacy Experts Raise Concerns Over iOS Developer Access to Certain Pieces of Facial Data

[MacRumors]

The iPhone X's facial recognition abilities continue to be found at the center of privacy concerns, with the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Democracy and Technology today raising questions over how "effectively" Apple can enforce certain privacy rules surrounding face scanning (via Reuters). Specifically, the privacy defending groups are worried about how certain pieces of facial data can be taken off the iPhone X by developers who seek to create entertainment features with the new smartphone's facial software.

Facial data that is used to unlock the iPhone X -- or data related to "Face ID" -- is securely stored on the device itself and not in iCloud. However, Apple will let developers take certain pieces of this facial data off the user's iPhone "as long as they seek customer permission and not sell the data to third parties," according to terms seen in a contract by Reuters. This means that developers who want to use the iPhone X's front-facing camera can get a "rough map" of the user's face, as well as a "stream of more than 50 kinds of facial expressions."

The data that developers can gather -- which can then be stored on the developer's own servers -- is said to help monitor how often users blink, smile, or even raise an eyebrow. Although this data can't unlock the iPhone X, according to documents about Face ID sent to security researchers, the "relative ease" with which developers can gain access to parts of a user's facial data and add it to their own servers has led to the new concerns raised by the ACLU and CDT today.

That remote storage raises questions about how effectively Apple can enforce its privacy rules, according to privacy groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Democracy and Technology. Apple maintains that its enforcement tools - which include pre-publication reviews, audits of apps and the threat of kicking developers off its lucrative App Store - are effective.

[...]But the relative ease with which developers can whisk away face data to remote servers leaves Apple sending conflicting messages: Face data is highly private when used for authentication, but it is sharable - with the user's permission - when used to build app features.

According to Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst at the ACLU, the privacy issues surrounding facial recognition in the context of unlocking a smartphone "have been overblown." Stanley explained, "The real privacy issues have to do with access by third-party developers." The experts concerned about Face ID in this context are also not worried about "government snooping," but more about marketers and advertisers tracking how a user's expression reacts to their ads.

Apple has strict policies against developers using face data for advertising and marketing, but those concerned groups cited worry about the company's "inability to control what app developers do with face data once it leaves the iPhone X." Stanley said that "the hard part" for Apple will come from having to find and catch the apps that might be violating these policies, meaning that the big household names probably won't be of concern to Apple, "but there's still a lot of room for bottom feeders."

Now that the iPhone X is in the hands of reviewers, many have said that Face ID works quite well in many different conditions. Some outlets have taken to try and fool Face ID with large pieces of clothing, sunglasses, and "twin tests," the last of which have come back with mixed results. In its ongoing efforts to reassure customers of Face ID's security and privacy, Apple released an in-depth security white paper in September to highlight and explain some of these features of Face ID.

Article Link: Privacy Experts Raise Concerns Over iOS Developer Access to Certain Pieces of Facial Data

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Wowzers. Apple needs to put a privacy setting in place ASAP, to keep advertisers from being able to do things like "Smile at this ad to continue". Which advertisers can and will end up doing.

 

[techwhiz]

How is this much different than asking for access to camera data?
It's not the 30k points to map the face.

 

[simonmet]

which can then be stored on the developer's own servers

This is the part that bothers me.

 

[MacQork]

Wowzers. Apple needs to put a privacy setting in place ASAP, to keep advertisers from being able to do things like "Smile at this ad to continue". Which advertisers can and will end up doing.

Or force you to look at the AD otherwise it stops playing, I think those are very reasonable concerns

 

[Rogifan]

Too many people worry too much. Enjoy life and stop worrying.

 

[mdisabato]

This negates all the security Apple built in to FaceID. Allowing this data out is plane ridiculous. The next thing that will happen is the government demanding a real time feed. 1984 only 27 years late.

 

[usarioclave]

So really, these guys are worried that an app will somehow figure out how often they're smiling, blinking, or raising their eyebrows? That's ridiculous.

 

[udayan81]

Too many people worry too much. Enjoy life and stop worrying.

It is a worry if a malicious user stops your access to the phone. Lot of people are there who use the phone for their day to day office stuff. Not everyone buys a phone to send silly tweets.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

How is this much different than asking for access to camera data?
It's not the 30k points to map the face.

Presumably Face ID is more like Touch ID, which is very different from the Camera app. I can disable access to the camera on an app-by-app basis, but I can't disable Touch ID on an app-by-app basis.

 

[thisisnotmyname]

It's opt in data that you need to confirm and there are policies in place that its use must be narrowly tailored.

edit: and not the Face ID minutia

 

[OllyW]

This negates all the security Apple built in to FaceID. Allowing this data out is plane ridiculous. The next thing that will happen is the government demanding a real time feed. 1984 only 27 years late.

Have you been using the iOS 11 calculator?

 

[Saipher]

Apple has strict policies against developers using face data for advertising and marketing, but those concerned groups cited worry about the company's "inability to control what app developers do with face data once it leaves the iPhone X."

This is my main concern with Face ID; not the government, but ad companies.

 

[MacQork]

So really, these guys are worried that an app will somehow figure out how often they're smiling, blinking, or raising their eyebrows? That's ridiculous.

You should learn more about big data before spewing ignorance on the web, thank you very much

 

[Iconoclysm]

This negates all the security Apple built in to FaceID. Allowing this data out is plane ridiculous. The next thing that will happen is the government demanding a real time feed. 1984 only 27 years late.

Are you aware it's not 2011?

 

[thisisnotmyname]

Presumably Face ID is more like Touch ID, which is very different from the Camera app. I can disable access to the camera on an app-by-app basis, but I can't disable Touch ID on an app-by-app basis.

No, this is not sending Face ID minutia. This is sending images along with 3D spacial mapping. That is much more like the camera in your analogy. And further, you have to allow Touch ID on an app by app basis.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

So really, these guys are worried that an app will somehow figure out how often they're smiling, blinking, or raising their eyebrows? That's ridiculous.

If I'm ad advertiser, I want to show ads that make people smile. If I know I get a certain reaction with a specific ad, I can continue to show it, further linking pleasure and joy with my product. If I don't want to be targeted in this way, Apple needs to provide a way to opt out.

Do you show your teeth when you smile? No? "Maybe you need to try Crest whitening toothpaste®, now with enhanced whitening!"

 

[deanthedev]

More fear mongering.

Did they also complain about users allowing access to the front cameras in phones? Cameras that can easily tell if you’re smiling or looking at an ad?

 

[mariusignorello]

Have you been using the iOS 11 calculator?

They fixed it (so to speak)

 

[thejadedmonkey]

No, this is not sending Face ID minutia. This is sending images along with 3D spacial mapping. That is much more like the camera in your analogy. And further, you have to allow Touch ID on an app by app basis.

The difference is that I need to explicitly grant permission to the app not just to enable Touch ID, but to use it. And there's always a fallback of a password. If you can use Face ID in a manner that isn't related to unlocking, and without implicitly allowing it every time you use it, it's much easier to abuse.

More fear mongering.

Did they also complain about users allowing access to the front cameras in phones? Cameras that can easily tell if you’re smiling or looking at an ad?

The camera has app-by-app permission. Touch ID (and presumably Face ID) does not.

 

[Smartass]

...which can then be stored on the developer's own servers...


Even if all developers stick to the strict Apple rules about this, what will happen if some of them get hacked and all the data is stolen? I mean this is quite a big possibility, especially since many developers do not have some "Top graded anti-NSA/breach" security on their servers.
Apple should never allow anyone to have access to this kind of data.

 

[TheShadowKnows!]

Too many people worry too much. Enjoy life and stop worrying.

Spot on, Rogifan.

i am ready to see dark conspiracy theories wind by recursive descent all over this thread. /s

 

[Iconoclysm]

The difference is that I need to explicitly grant permission to the app not just to enable Touch ID, but to use it. And there's always a fallback of a password. If you can use Face ID in a manner that isn't related to unlocking, and without implicitly allowing it every time you use it, it's much easier to abuse.

This is true but there are actually useful features that could be gained by utilizing the Kinect-like functions of FaceID. Or, at least as useful as Microsoft tried with Kinect. I don't see any reason they'd need to offload that data though.

 

[Smartass]

No, this is not sending Face ID minutia. This is sending images along with 3D spacial mapping. That is much more like the camera in your analogy. And further, you have to allow Touch ID on an app by app basis.

Yeah but with touchID developers didnt get any info, or numbers for that matter, about your fingerprint. With FaceID, they will be getting actual pictures of your face, along with all the characteristics of it. This is quite different. And lets be real here - people, as i, use TouchID for logging into different apps for its convenience - because it is quick and easy. I assume they will be doing the same with FaceID so everytime you'll log into, lets say your bank account, the bank could easily get a picture of your face.

 

[scrapesleon]

now we got a real problem well put a tape over Face ID when using facebook haha