Apple toughens its privacy policy for the iOS apps on App Store and Android is expected to follow suit, since the two systems copy a lot from each other.
Privacy is an important issue for consumers. Every time there is a security breach or problems about user data, it undermines their trust in the brand and negative opinion flows in. Apple wants to avoid any similar scandal at all costs and to achieve this it wants to be more transparent with its users. In this sense, the company has launched privacy labels in its App Store.
What are Apple privacy labels and how do they work?
During its developers’ conference in June, Apple announced the intention to implement privacy labels and in November. The company informed the developers that they would have to provide this information by December 8. The risk of not completing this step is that app makers could be blocked from updating their apps in the App Store.
Since we have already passed December 8th, Apple has officially launched this new security feature. Although for the time being it only applies to devices running iOS 14.
The company has also informed that the labeling system is mandatory on all its platforms (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS) and that with each update of an application the developer must complete the tagging.
Of course, Apple’s own applications will have exactly the same labels as any other app developed by third parties. Even for those installed by default on each device, the company will provide privacy label information, although in this case it will be done through the web.
Three categories of data collection
Devices with iOS 14 will be the first to receive the label system. And one of the aspects in which Apple has influenced more is in the use of our data given by each application. To promote this transparency, the company will divide the data collection into three categories: “data used to track you”, “data linked to you” and “data not linked to you”.
Data used to track you
This means that the application is collecting personal information to provide you with customized advertising or that it could use this information to sell you.
Data linked to you
This label applies to those applications that use the data to identify you. The data that is extracted is related to the use of the application or account or linked services. The data that can be extracted from here could be created to create a profile for advertising purposes.
Data not linked to you
This tag clarifies that there are certain types of data, such as location, that are not linked to you in any way to identify you.
For tracking users apps will ask for permission
In addition to tags, Apple intends to launch a new privacy feature that will require app developers to ask permission to track users. This would be done through a unique identification code for each device. This will probably be implemented in 2021.
