Apple App Store adds app privacy information, here’s everything you need to know

In recent years, various problems caused by privacy leaks in mobile apps have emerged one after another, from address books being uploaded to the most recent mobile phones being implanted with Trojans when they leave the factory. Consumers may be harassed by marketing accounts all day long, or suffer serious property losses. The privacy security of mobile phones has received more and more attention from consumers.

On December 15, Apple released iOS/iPad OS 14.3 and macOS Big Sur 11.1, introducing App "privacy" information in the App Store. Apple announced this news at the WWDC 20 Global Developers Conference in June this year. Users can see the "privacy" information directly on the product page of the app in the App Store.

Apple's Privacy Guidelines

Apple follows four privacy guidelines in the development of all its products. The first is the principle of data minimization. Apple uses various innovative technologies to implement various product functions while accessing the minimum amount of data possible. The second is the principle of intelligent processing on the device. Apple processes user data on the device as much as possible instead of sending it to the server, thereby protecting user privacy to the greatest extent.

The third is the principle of transparency and control. Apple has always believed that apps should respect user privacy, so it has done a lot of protection in the operating system, so that customers can better understand what data is collected about them and have more control over their information. Finally, there is the principle of security protection, which is the foundation of everything Apple does in terms of privacy. Whether it is hardware, software or services, Apple follows this principle.

We can see that the addition of app privacy information summary labels in the App Store follows Apple’s long-standing principles of transparency and control.

What is the new App "Privacy" information?

After this privacy policy update, when developers submit updates or new versions of apps on the App Store, they must submit privacy information to Apple. Every app developer in the world must answer the same privacy questions listed by Apple, including Apple itself.

On the app product page in the App Store, app "privacy" information is divided into three categories: "Data used to track you", "Data associated with you", and "Data not associated with you".

"Data used to track you" refers to user or device data collected by the app for targeted advertising or advertising measurement. "Data associated with you" refers to data associated with the user's identity through the user account, device or other details on the app.

After the launch of the App Store "Privacy" information summary function, users can fully understand what types of private data developers may collect from them when deciding to download an app. In conjunction with other privacy control measures already launched by iOS, users can more carefully control what types of private data apps can access after downloading apps to their devices.

The launch of this feature undoubtedly takes consumer privacy protection to a higher level. When asked how to deal with the possible reduction in advertising revenue, Apple said that the Safari Intelligent Tracking Prevention feature previously launched on iOS did not actually affect advertising revenue. For the app tracking prevention feature launched this time, developers must obtain user permission before tracking, which is essentially the same as the previous iOS addition of the need to obtain user permission to obtain microphone permissions.

In fact, developers do not need to increase their workload or change their business model because of the addition of such a new privacy feature. Developers can complete the app privacy information check in the form of a submission list without even updating the app.

Apple's App Store has always been known for its rigorous review of app permissions. In terms of user privacy, as early as iOS 10, Apple added pop-up windows requesting authorization to connect to the Internet, etc. In iOS 13, users can erase the metadata of photos when sending pictures to prevent their privacy from being leaked. In iOS 14, when an app uses the microphone or camera, the top status bar will display yellow and green solid dots respectively, and users can also blur the location information of the app. I believe that with the addition of the "privacy" information function of the App Store app, both users and developers can benefit from Apple's more complete "rules of the game."