Wired
The Washington Post reporter points out that many of the privacy labels introduced in the App Store that detail the user data that apps collect are false.
Privacy label introduced in the App Store
At the end of 2020, Apple placed a privacy label on the App Store that visually summarizes user data collected and shared by each app, like nutrition labeling for processed foods.
This display allows users to understand how to handle user data before installing the app.
However, The Washington Post reporter Geoffrey A. Fowler points out that many apps display false content on their privacy labels.
When I check the application that says “No data collection”
When Fowler recorded the connection destinations by trackers using the privacy-oriented VPN application “Privacy Pro”, in about one-third of the dozens of apps surveyed, there was a discrepancy with the display content of the privacy label. It seems that was seen.
For example, a “satisfied slime simulator” over the age of 4 explains that they do not collect user data on their privacy label.
However, this app sent information that can identify the iPhone to Google and Facebook, and in Unity, the software for game developers, not only iPhone information but also battery level, free storage space, approximate location information , I found that I am also sending information such as volume level.
He points out that even if the apps he researched are very limited and not representative of the whole, this discrepancy is against the trust of users.
Is Apple’s privacy and foundation unstable?
An Apple representative told Fowler, “Apple regularly checks the information and encourages developers to correct any inaccurate information. Apps that don’t publish privacy information accurately Future updates will be rejected, and if you don’t respond to the fix, it may be permanently removed from the App Store. “
Fowler said that the privacy label display is trustworthy and post-confirmed by the app developer, along with the statement “This information has not been verified by Apple” in the “App Privacy” section of the App Store. It is criticized that it is built on the unstable foundation.
Privacy label still infiltrated
The privacy label is required to be displayed in updates delivered after December 2020.
As a result, apps that haven’t been updated since December will see “Details not provided” on the privacy label.
As a user, I hope that the privacy label will be provided in the future, and that it will be possible to decide to use the app based on accurate information.
Apple recently announced that it will introduce a system in the spring of 2021 that requires user permission when apps and websites track users.
Source: The Washington Post
Photo: Apple
(hato)
Source: iPhone Mania