WhatsApp Protests Apple's App Store Privacy Requirements

[scottishwildcat]

Are u aware that this feature isn’t live yet and Apple Apps most likely will have labels too, if they collect data.

The point is that Apple's OS-bundled apps aren't installed from the App Store. So even if they do put their own labels somewhere on their website, it won't be anywhere that people downloading apps will generally be able to see or compare them.

 

[jackoverfull]

The App Store labels are just a short, clean, clear, privacy disclosure which is usually buried in pages of legalese and difficult to find app settings. The App Store labels are not doing anything that isn’t already being done by FB, Google, and many others.

Oh, but they put those things that are normally buried deep in legalese out for anyone to easily notice

 

[Starfia]

And FB and Google will protect your data - except from themselves and anyone else that wants to buy it.

I'd say time has shown Facebook has far from maintained even that standard.

 

[LeadingHeat]

It is weird that Apple doesn’t allow rating or privacy labels for its own apps. You would think that this privacy focused Apple company would want this feature to highlight themselves from their competitors, not shy away from their own double standard.

How does them not having ratings on first party apps create a double standard from a privacy standpoint? That doesn’t make sense.

And about them not having privacy labels, NO apps have privacy labels yet. I’m sure their own first party ones will, to show just how little data they actually do collect. (Even though you already agree to the terms and conditions of them when you first sign into the iPhone. Or did you not read it and just clicked “agree” blindly?

 

[johnmarki]

I welcome the labels, want them put in place yesterday, and will absolutely support Apple, and any other manufacturer that requires this. It doesn't take much of an imagination to conjure up reasons why a company WOULDN'T want an informed user/consumer.

 

[Daveoc64]

Didn't you agree to the blanket privacy policy when you set uop your device initially ?

Well yes - in the same way that you agree to a privacy policy when you sign up for Facebook, Spotify, WhatsApp, Skype, Uber, Zoom, or any other app.

Why is it adequate for Apple, but not other companies?

I repeat - the issue is that the equivalent app from Apple and a third party may do X, Y, and Z - but only the third party app has a shame label on it that says that.

 

[mariusfanu]

Wrong title, it's should be "Facebook protests..."

 

[KanosWRX]

While I think Apple is doing the right thing with the privacy labels. I also think Apple needs to allow people the right to choose their applications, they should be able to choose their message platform, calendar, assistant, etc... You can't make others follow your rules then not give people the option to choose the app they want to use!

 

[mjtomlin71]

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

I'm working on making my own social media platform right now, and something I've noticed about every other company in this space is that they harvest absolutely gargantuan amounts of totally useless data. They seem to have zero sense about what data is either valuable to sell or what data a customer appreciates them having.

I intend to collect a decent amount of data, maybe 5-10% as much as the others do, but the data will be incredibly valuable to me delivering a worthwhile platform to the user, it's going to be extremely valuable to advertisers, and the user isn't going to find it creepy that I have it (and it'll be very transparent that I have the data.) It's not weird useless data like your car's license plate or your house address - it'll be information that you'd be perfectly willing to share with a complete stranger.

 

[twolf2919]

All Apple need to do is publish the privacy labels for their own apps. Which they should be doing as they require it of others. I wouldn't be surprised to see that happen when it all goes live.

Facebook's demand is inane. Apple doesn't collect and share any data on the user and Facebook knows that full well. Next thing you know, they'll demand Apple put a nutrition label on "Settings", "Calculator", etc.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

All Apple need to do is publish the privacy labels for their own apps. Which they should be doing as they require it of others. I wouldn't be surprised to see that happen when it all goes live.

i agree, Apple should lead by example. If they published the data collected by their own apps, other developers would have no reason to complain..

 

[twolf2919]

I agree with WhatsApp here.

Apple, if you're going to force everyone to expose their dirty laundry, you should be the first in line.

Disagree. Apple already has a published policy on what data they collect and what data they share. This covers all the apps that come with their products. Why should they repeat that information for every single bit of code? Next thing you know, Facebook will be demanding Apple show these for the "Settings" or the "Calculator" apps. Or, on macOS, for every command-line program that comes with macOS. Utterly ridiculous argument.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

Are u aware that this feature isn’t live yet and Apple Apps most likely will have labels too, if they collect data.
Facebook is a piece of **** for trying to hide the fact that they use the user data to push ads in their other apps

I hope you are right because if Apple listed the data collected in their own apps it would pretty much slam the door on any attempted law suits coming their way..

 

[twolf2919]

Someone doesn't know how Whatsapp or end to end encryption works.

Someone doesn't know there's data to be gleaned from knowing who the endpoints are. Or that the app that's doing the encrypting sees stuff in cleartext.

 

[Substance90]

I mean they do have a point. I wouldn't mind all stock Apple apps being removable and installable via the App Store just like any third-party app.

 

[I7guy]

Apple wants to be judge and jury here but it has a conflict of interest. The App Store needs to be separated from Apple as a separate business. But if these silly label buckets are the mechanism to show the data then all apps (esp. FB spyware and Apple apps) must publish this data.

Wondering if this is a legal opinion of conflict of interest? Because it would set a precedent for every app store in creation.

 

[mjtomlin71]

 

[apveenstra]

I think Apple should also publish what data they are collecting with their built-in Apps/Services, especially Messages and Apple Pay.

 

[Daveoc64]

Disagree. Apple already has a published policy on what data they collect and what data they share. This covers all the apps that come with their products. Why should they repeat that information for every single bit of code? Next thing you know, Facebook will be demanding Apple show these for the "Settings" or the "Calculator" apps. Or, on macOS, for every command-line program that comes with macOS. Utterly ridiculous argument.

How is that any different to every other app?

Every app and service has a privacy policy which legally has to cover what data they collect, what they do with it and who that data is shared with.

Apple is effectively saying here that those privacy policies aren't adequate enough to explain to users what third-party apps and services do.

Making a lot of apps, or including a lot of apps with the device shouldn't give Apple a favoured position over other companies.

 

[geekymcfly]

Or you could tell facebook and all these other data mining companies to develop their own hardware and app store.

They tried but failed miserably. HTC First

 

[Daveoc64]

I agree, ALL apps on the App Store should have these labels... And there's nothing that says Apple won't do the same for their own apps. But some of those "apps" you mentioned aren't available on the App Store, they come as part of the device. Do you expect Apple to put hundreds of privacy labels on an iPhone box for every feature of iOS? That would be ridiculous, instead they have a EULA and a Privacy Policy that includes all of that.

Bottom line, this is a way for iOS users to be more easily informed about privacy issues before they choose to download an app from the App Store.

You make an interesting point about this only being about apps from the App Store, but I think that makes it worse.

Only Apple can distribute their apps with the OS. Using that advantage to bypass something that's promoted as a privacy protection just looks dodgy to me. I wouldn't be surprised if this is investigated as part of antitrust claims.

 

[montuori]

I think Apple should also publish what data they are collecting with their built-in Apps/Services, especially Messages and Apple Pay.

They do: https://privacy.apple.com

 

[nsayer]

This is hilarious. If Apple published a label for iMessage does Facebook honestly think it will make their garbage look better by comparison somehow?

 

[futbalguy]

How does them not having ratings on first party apps create a double standard from a privacy standpoint? That doesn’t make sense.

And about them not having privacy labels, NO apps have privacy labels yet. I’m sure their own first party ones will, to show just how little data they actually do collect. (Even though you already agree to the terms and conditions of them when you first sign into the iPhone. Or did you not read it and just clicked “agree” blindly?

Because Apple’s apps collect info just like a third party app. The nutrition labels will lead users to believe third party apps are collecting more info than Apple which is not necessarily true at all. As someone who has filled out the forms for the nutrition labels,I think the labels will be misleading since they give you no sense of why the info is collected. Even data that is aggregated or anonymous is included which is beyond what a privacy policy or GDPR requires. Users are going to have conspiracy theory’s left and right over totally reasonable and legitimate data collection.