Apple is expanding its privacy policy. The American tech company is going to require developers to clearly disclose what user data they collect and share. This information in a nutshell will be offered in the App Store. The change is expected to take effect in September. Apple told that Monday night in the live broadcast of the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).
In the tech world, there are a number of major trade shows and events every year. Think of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the Mobile World Congress (MWC), Google I/O, Computex, Galaxy Unpacked, the International Funkausstelling (IFA), Microsoft Build and the presentation of the latest iPhones and iPads. Smartphone enthusiasts, tech journalists, developers and executives eagerly look forward to them. It is the perfect opportunity to get a glimpse of what the near future will bring in terms of hardware and software, as well as to network.
Monday night Dutch time the WWDC took place for the 34th time. Due to the corona virus, for the first time in its history, it was not possible to hold a large-scale event. Instead, the organization opted for a live stream. The product presentations were pre-recorded and streamed live over the Internet.
The emphasis this edition was on software. Apple showed all sorts of new features from iOS 14, iPadOS 14, watchOS 7, tvOS 14 and macOS Big Sur. Perhaps the biggest surprise was Apple's announcement that it is saying goodbye to Intel and its x86 chip architecture. Instead, the tech company is switching to chips with ARM architecture that it will manufacture itself. The first Mac computer with ARM chip is expected before the end of the year. Apple is setting aside two years to shape the transition.
As you can see, Apple showed and said many new things during the live presentation. One of the things that was overlooked by many was the new privacy labels in the App Store. If you go to Apple's application store now, you will see a heading of information in addition to a description and reviews of apps. This includes who the developer is, how much memory the app takes up, what age group the app is intended for and what version of the operating system the app is compatible with.
Privacy terms can also be found here, but you have to look carefully. And really user-friendly information about our privacy is not, either. The only thing Apple currently requires developers to do is to include a link to the company's privacy terms. The chances of users clicking on that and reading through the document are very slim. Apple would like to see that changed and has come up with something.
Developers who want to offer their applications through the App Store in the future will soon be required to attach privacy labels to them. In fact, it is a brief summary of their privacy terms and conditions. In any case, Apple's intention is clear: users should soon be able to see at a glance how data app developers handle the privacy of their users and what data they collect. Among other things, the labels will show what data developers use to track users, and what data is collected and linked to users.
How do privacy labels take shape? Before anyone can download an app, a window appears on the screen in which the developer explains the data it collects. You don't have to worry about being presented with chunks of text: for each privacy category, you can see point-by-point what data is being collected and transmitted.
Apple compared privacy labels to food labels. Every product in the supermarket has a label on the back that shows exactly what ingredients are in it. People with allergies can see in no time which products they can and cannot eat. In addition to information about the ingredients, you will also find information on food labels, such as the energy values and which flavorings, fragrances and colorings have been added to them. Finally, a colored checkmark indicates whether a product is a conscious and healthy choice or not. In short, a nutrition label provides a lot of information about the product in question in a clear manner. This is exactly what Apple wants with regard to users' privacy when they download an app.
In addition to privacy labels, Apple is taking other measures to ensure our privacy. Thanks to the latest technological advances, it is possible to determine our position quite accurately. Soon there will be an option to less accurately share your location information with apps that request it. And an icon will soon appear in the status bar to indicate whether the camera or microphone is recording: the Recording Indicator.
It is unclear when Apple will implement privacy labels and other privacy measures. The company may wait to do so until the launch of iOS 14 and iPadOS 14. The latest version of the operating system for iPhones and iPads is expected to roll out in September.
