U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Questions Apple on Accuracy of App Store Privacy Labels

[gavroche]

I always wondered why the government takes medical privacy so seriously... as evidenced by the strict HIPAA laws... but doesnt seem to give a hoot how extensively companies lile Facebook have built extremely extensive information profiles on everyone. Do people value privacy of their medical records so much, but not care if anyone has easy access to all websites they have ever visited, all web searches they have done, keywords from all emails sent, private pictures, etc...?

 

[Populus]

What a coincidence! (I’m gonna share my view on this, this is my humble point of view, I can be wrong, but I have the right to express it freely and politely. You can reply if you don’t agree). Now, let’s get some downvotes.

Yesterday I was looking for a productivity app, a GTD app, and I stumbled upon a russian app called Get It Done - Task Manager. It looked very sketchy, because it looks great, but it is free, no IAP (thus, no monetization) and the dev name, the support email name, and the company name, aren’t the same. Different, as well, from the website of the dev, which is entirely in russian. Also, only one update since its inception, in august. No opinions, no reviews, nothing.

I was skeptical, so I looked for the privacy label... Nothing. But then, I saw that, even in the case it had a privacy label... THAT MEANS NOTHING!! Apple itself says “This info hasn’t been verified by Apple”. Well, then this App Privacy labels are useless!!

Worse than useless, it damages the honest devs who disclose they are gathering data, while empowers the -unknown number of- apps that misleadingly report that they don’t gather any personal info.

I agree with this criticism and I would encourage Apple as well to review, even if selectively, many of this apps, and to threaten to ban permanently devs who lie about this.

 

[gavroche]

I agree with this criticism and I would encourage Apple as well to review, even if selectively, many of this apps, and to threaten to ban permanently devs who lie about this.

Hopefully this will happen eventually. Having a hard date for all developers to put the labels in place resulted in a flood of app updates all at once. I cant imagine they had enough manpower devoted to reviewing it all quickly. perhaps they will increase that capacity. But i assume eventually they get around to it. But who know... we hear all the time about popular apps suddenly being told they are 'breaking the rules,' yet theyve made no changes in a long time.
Id also assume that once a developer is found to have been misslabeling the privacy notices, that their account is flagged for more intensive scrutiny ongoing.
And stay away from those sketchy Russian apps!

 

[Abazigal]

I for one do wonder where Apple is going with app labels. They have to know that not everyone is going to be 100% honest with disclosure, so is Apple planning to enforce this in any way, and if so, how?

 

[Macaholic868]

Meanwhile, what is the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce doing about Facebook, Google, etc harvesting and selling user data by the truckload?

Absolutely nothing. You’ve righty pointed out the hilarity in all of this. Instead of investigating the companies that make their money collecting, analyzing and selling consumer’s private data they are investigating the one company trying to do something about it. I wonder how much money Facebook, etc. have donated to the politicians making all of this noise. Hypocrites.

 

[Macbookprodude]

And once Marxist-Leninist form of gov’t by Biden is complete(already USA is in 1st stage of Communism), then Apple can get away with anything it wants..

 

[I7guy]

So if Apple can't verify each to 100% of the truth and accuracy, don't do it at all?

Is this where are taxpayers dollars are going?

 

[msp3]

So, crooked politicians bought and paid for by big tech are unhappy with Apple because app labels are revealing what big tech actually does with your data? Sounds like business as usual...

 

[Deliro]

When I see who’s on the roster of The House it doesn’t inspire confidence in me. No doubt they’re getting their pockets lined. seeing how many of them have been compromised I have 0 faith in them to do anything competent or in the best interest of the people they claim to serve.

 

[Blowback]

Am I alone in asking "why?". App Privacy Labels are ground breaking stuff and it's only weeks old.
Would it be too cynical to assume that those not happy with being forced to 'fess up about what their apps are doing are behind this through some form of lobbying?

Why? its the US congress....cameras must have been present! REALLY wish something akin could be made to rate the truthfulness of the members of the US Congress....I know, I know....wishes , and Trix, are for kids.....

 

[amartinez1660]

Totally agree. Seems a little opportunistic of these politicians to subject Apple to such scrutiny so early.... It's like "Dear Apple, we never really cared when you didn't offer privacy info, but now that you do, you need to do everything right in week one."

Meanwhile, what is the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce doing about Facebook, Google, etc harvesting and selling user data by the truckload?

1000% on board with these. Where are these people when politicians, bankers or food-cars-etc manufacturers blatantly lie on their labeling of products... heck the whole marketing industry is based on mislabeling a few notches upwards.

The whole Zuckerberg hearings about what’s going on at large in the platform, privacy, etc is all a blatant expression of “I’m lying and/or omitting information” in their faces.

In any case, all good if it is a good intention... else it would suck a sort of “well Apple, it’s kinda misleading, you have to remove that feature altogether... gotta protect the customers ya know, by lifting the protection themselves”.

 

[jdsingle]

It sure would be nice to see the House Committee on Energy and Commerce try and speak out of just one side of its mouth at for decent period of time.

 

[Tech198]

I know Apple wants to make things convenient, everyone does, but that just invites people to get around these privacy labels and lack of info.

If Apple doesn't routinely update then developers will have a window of ''free runs' till hey get caught..

Make it automated if Apple can't manually verify.. Look for labels and (better) entire sentences/perhaps different "versions" of saying (much better than keywords).. and match them up.. If they don't match,then its flagged automatically.

If Apple does only the miminum too verify, or the odd "spot check", there will always be problems.. and it will never be up to what Apple's standards they are looking for.

 

[0924487]

Of course it’s not accurate. It’s like asking your child after her first ski lesson if she’s ready for the Olympic next week.

 

[Bluetoot-]

At least we know who’s in the bag of the lobbyists for Facebook.

 

[Rafagon]

Could someone please tell me what "User Content" means? It sounds like it means anything I create and keep on my iPhone. So, for example, if I make a breathtakingly beautiful drawing of a duck using a drawing app, Words With Friends may "collect" and "link" it to my identity?

Also, that "Other Data" category sure sounds eerily all-encompassing. That could include data on whether my heart rate increases while I was playing Words With Friends (if I had an Apple Watch, which I don't) or what I purchased during my last trip to Burger King using the Burger King app. ?

 

[litmag01]

Does the FDA audit food manufactures to verify the accuracy of the “Nutrition Facts” label?

You are right. For the most part no they don't and it is somewhat reactive. But they carry a pretty big stick. There are some small business exemptions, but all commercial vendors must report scientific documentation behind labeling if asked by the FDA. Fortunately the FDA also makes it easy for consumers to report concerns and question vendor claims of nutrition. I think the biggest difference here is that (especially with the recent FDA crackdown on "supplements") most reputable food vendors are required to make their nutrition findings easily available in an understandable way to the public where that pretty much exists nowhere in the tech industry.

 

[I7guy]

[…]

I agree with this criticism and I would encourage Apple as well to review, even if selectively, many of this apps, and to threaten to ban permanently devs who lie about this.

How is apple going to verify the million of apps? It’s like the FDA verifying every nutrition label. (Which someone used as an example above)

 

[Populus]

How is apple going to verify the million of apps? It’s like the FDA verifying every nutrition label. (Which someone used as an example above)

I said, selectively.

Anyways, within the next years, Apple can review more thoroughly the apps as they submit updates. I thought they checked the apps to ensure they are safe. There must be an easy, automated way to detect the data the app is accessing.

I am sorry but I use iOS, among other reasons, because Apple reportedly offers me a safe environment to keep my privacy. I wouldn’t like to discover that some random app is looking through my photos (user content) and/or collecting them without consent.

 

[I7guy]

I said, selectively.

Anyways, within the next years, Apple can review more thoroughly the apps as they submit updates. I thought they checked the apps to ensure they are safe. There must be an easy, automated way to detect the data the app is accessing.

I am sorry but I use iOS, among other reasons, because Apple reportedly offers me a safe environment to keep my privacy. I wouldn’t like to discover that some random app is looking through my photos (user content) and/or collecting them without consent.

Photos isn’t a great example because one has to gray the app permission. Neither are contacts and other personal data. You don’t have to worry about credit cards because that is one of the nice things about the App Store.

 

[Blowback]

How is apple going to verify the million of apps? It’s like the FDA verifying every nutrition label. (Which someone used as an example above)

Agree, its a tough problem. I would institute a 'rewards' type program for discoverers ...paid for with a requirement that new apps have to have some small percentage of their first proceeds placed in escrow (30 days?) to be released (with interest?) after clearance. Again, tough problem but 'tough problems' are solved / handled every day.....