Has Apple been lying to you about its privacy protection

With data privacy concerns on the rise, Apple resorted to clever marketing and TV commercials to assure users that their data is always private. However, code sleuths over at Mysk have begun challenging these claims, stating that your data isn’t as protected as you may think it is. According to them, user data for certain in-house apps includes a Directory Services Identifier (DSID) that acts as a unique fingerprint for your iCloud and Apple ID. This means that Apple can use the data to determine your App store browsing habits, negating Apple’s claims that none of your data is personally identifying. 

How does Apple’s OS collect your data?

According to researchers, iOS 14.6 frequently gathers, stores, and sends data related to your activity on first-party apps. This data is sent directly to Apple if you happen to manually limit data collection or disable device analytics. Some of the data collected by Apple includes your Apple iPhone model, the languages used on your keyboard, and other data that helps the company pinpoint your device. 

Mysk has also pointed out that Apple’s new changes that limit third-party apps from collecting data came into effect with iOS 14.5. However, it seems that the recent findings on data collection do extend to Apple models with iOS 16, which calls into question how serious Apple is about data privacy breaches. 

What does this mean for users?

Currently, Apple’s usage of customer data is not clear. According to Gizmodo, the company encrypts usage data and may not be processing general and personal data together. Apple doesn’t detail its analytics collection practises, so there is no way to prove whether the company is honouring the multitude of promises it has made regarding data privacy. 

Do you think the notion of data privacy is a farce? Read about how social media gathers data to influence global politics here. 

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