Apple has taken a bold step towards improving its privacy protection. According to CNET, the Cupertino company has updated its terms of service to prohibit App Store apps from sharing users’ location data with third-party entities without their consent. Apps can still share a user’s location data, but they must first receive the user’s consent.
Like Android apps, it’s not uncommon for iOS apps to collect location data on their users. A dating app, for instance, may use this information to recommend nearby matches to a user based on his or her location. However, some apps collect location data for the sole purpose of selling it to market research firms. There’s a huge market for data such as this. Market research firms purchase location data so that they can provide professional marketing consultation services to other companies. Unfortunately, this means users’ location data — the places they’ve visited and when they visited them — is often passed around to multiple companies.
In the past, iOS apps could collect and share users’ location data without requiring consent. During installation, apps would tell user how their data was being used, but they did not require the user to tap a checkbox or otherwise give their consent.
Now, however, Apple is removing apps that share users’ location data with third parties without their consent from the App Store. Reports indicate that developers of these apps are being notified by Apple that they must update their apps to be reinstated. After an app has been updated, Apple will review it to ensure it complies with the new terms of service.
So, what prompted Apple to prohibit apps from sharing users’ location data with third-party entities without their consent? There’s been a growing push among mobile device users for greater transparency regarding the type of personal data apps collect and how that data is used. But perhaps the most influential factor affecting Apple’s decision is the General Data Protection Regulation (GDDR). This European legislation requires apps to obtain a user’s consent in order to collect personal data from that user. While GDDR takes effect on May 25, 2018, sources say Apple is trying to stay ahead of potential violations.
Read More: https://www.techspot.com/news/74537-apple-puts-end-apps-sharing-location-data-third.html
Dil Bole Oberoi
