A decade ago, privacy was declared dead.
And when it comes to privacy, Apples App Store is one of the internets most important battlegrounds.
ApplesWorldwide Developer Conference keynoteon Monday hadpredictablemoments andsurprises, but the undercurrent of privacyran through much of the event.
Photo: Justin Sullivan (Getty)
But is that true?
No, said Bennett Cyphers, a technologist with the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Theres quite a bit of daylight between the way they talk versus a users experience.
Apple effectively hasdictatorial controlover the App Storeand there areplenty of reasonsto criticize its infamous walled garden.
The hardware and software from Apple is typically industry-leading on privacy.
The App Store may be at the center of areportedpossible antitrust investigation into Apple by the U.S. government.
What Apple does in its App Store could come under a powerful microscope in the coming months.
The App Storesstrict rules and requirementsdemand that apps meet certain quality, security, and privacy standards.
What happens on iPhone stays on your iPhone?
From our perspective, thats not really true.
Apple did not respond to our request for comment.
That contradicts the idea that what happens on your phone stays on your phone.
In Mondays big keynote, Apple offered a handful of announcements that have real and meaningful privacy impact.
On desktop computers, there are tons of extensions and software available to see and stop tracking.
And there are third-party iOS apps that provide some insight as well.
But its still extremely difficult to see where your data is going.
As an iPhone user, what they need to do is give people a heads up, Oppenheim said.
Steve Jobs said that privacy means people have to know what theyre signing up for.
For Apple led by Tim Cook, thats not the case with app tracking.
People dont know what theyre signing up for even if they read privacy policieswhich they dont.
Apple should show up front who is doing the tracking and what data theyre taking.
But would there be a backlash?
Among the developers gathered for WWDC, there certainly could be.
Apple has huge market share and is a huge leader, Oppenheim said.
This is what makes data valuable to the third-party data collectors, Cyphers said.
Its the key that unlocks the ability for third-party data collectors to tie all this data to one person.
Apples big WWDC kick-offincludedannouncements about the software poweringMac,Apple Watch,Apple TV,iPad, andiPhone.
But Apples devices are still a portal through which third parties collect so much data about us.
We shouldnt let them off the hook for the role they playand the money they makethrough that system.
News from the future, delivered to your present.
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