Another View on Apple’s Changes to Its Privacy Policy
PC World reports that there is growing criticism of Apple’s changes to its privacy policy in its iOS 4 mobile operating system.
Apple may be about to get roped into the privacy policy debate that has dogged other technology companies like Facebook and Google over the past few months. On Monday Apple quietly changed its privacy policy as part of the iOS 4 update to allow the company to collect and share your Apple device’s location information, as first reported by The Los Angeles Times.
Apple says in its revised privacy policy that most location data is collected anonymously with the exception of services like Find My iPhone, which needs your personal information to work. Apple uses your location data to “provide and improve location-based products and services,” according to the revised privacy policy. [...]
Under the recently released iOS 4, Apple has added new controls for location services that help you understand how your location data is being used. As was the case with iPhone OS 3, whenever an iPhone application wants to use your location data you must explicitly authorize it do so. In iOS 4, after that first-time authorization, a small arrow appears on the top right of your iPhone screen every time your location information is being accessed by an application. [...]
Overall, Apple appears to be doing a pretty good job with your location data; however there have been some criticisms over the new policy. Apple does not specify, for example, whether or not it will still track your location even with the Location Services global control turned off. It’s also not clear how long Apple intends to store your location data, and what kind of safeguards it has in place to protect its database of location information. I’ve asked Apple for clarification on these points, and will update this post once I hear back from the company.
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