Today is Data Privacy Day, and Apple is celebrating the event in a number of ways, including the sharing of a new “Day in the Life of Your Data” document that describes on how third-party companies can monitor user data across websites and apps.
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Apple says that, on average, mobile apps include six “trackers” from third-party companies for “the sole purpose of collecting and tracking people and their personal information,” fueling an industry worth $ 227 billion annually. “A Day in the Life of Your Data” aims to show what advertisers, data brokers, social media companies, and other organizations can learn about a father and daughter who spend an enjoyable day in the park.
One example is the father and daughter taking a selfie at the park, editing the photo with a filtering app, and sharing it on social media, a series of seemingly innocent and still action-provoking acts. cause data to be collected and retrieved across multiple applications:
Later at the playground, John and Emma take a selfie. They play with a photo filtering app, deciding to add bunny ears to the picture. The filtering app, however, is able to access all the photos on the device and the associated metadata, rather than just the playground selfie. John posts the photo on a social media app. The app currently links John’s online activity to the collection of data collected by other apps, such as his demographic information and purchasing habits, using email address, phone number or ad identifier.
The document goes on to list various Apple privacy features that would have given the father and daughter more clarity and control over their data, including an option to access the filtering app just on their own selfie, instead of the whole photo library.
The document also clarifies Apple’s four key privacy principles and provides more information about Transparency Tracking App, a measure of privacy that apps need to request permission to track users starting with the next betas iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and tvOS 14. Apple says the software updates will be released in early spring.
“Privacy means peace of mind, it means security, and it means you’re in the driver’s seat when it comes to your own data,” Apple’s head of software engineering Craig Federighi, said in statement shared today. “Our goal is to create technology that keeps people’s information safe and protected. We believe privacy is a fundamental human right, and our teams work every day to embed it in everything which we do. “
Apple CEO Tim Cook will talk about data privacy today at the Computers, Privacy, and Data Protection conference, based in Brussels. Cook plans to speak at 8:15 am Pacific Time, and a live stream will be available on YouTube.