“Apple updated its privacy policy Wednesday and offered up more details on how it handles the data it collects to power the iPhone X’s Face ID feature,” Ina Fried writes for Axios. “‘At Apple, we believe privacy is a fundamental human right,’ the company says in a new version of its privacy Web site. ‘And so much of your personal information — information you have a right to keep private — lives on your Apple devices.'”
“pple is taking pains to make sure that the face recognition data stays on the device and can’t be accessed by governments or others,” Fried writes. “To train the neural networks that power Face ID, Apple obtained (with informed consent) more than a billion images of people, including depth and infrared scans.”
Fried writes, “As all varieties of smartphones contain a treasure trove of personal information, Apple aims to make its strong privacy stance a selling point.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take:
People who value privacy and security use Apple products. — MacDailyNews, September 12, 2015
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Apple CEO Tim Cook champions privacy, blasts ‘so-called free services’ – June 3, 2015
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Apple CEO Cook: Unlike some other companies, Apple won’t invade your right to privacy – March 2, 2015
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Edward Snowden’s privacy tips: ‘Get rid of Dropbox,” avoid Facebook and Google – October 13, 2014
Apple CEO Tim Cook ups privacy to new level, takes direct swipe at Google – September 18, 2014
Apple will no longer unlock most iPhones, iPads for government, police – even with search warrants – September 18, 2014
U.S. NSA watching, tracking phone users with Google Maps – January 28, 2014
U.S. NSA secretly infiltrated Yahoo, Google data centers worldwide, Snowden documents say – October 30, 2013
Google has already inserted some U.S. NSA code into Android – July 10, 2013
Court rules NSA doesn’t have to reveal its semi-secret relationship with Google – May 22, 2013
Apple can only adopt this strong stand supporting privacy because it’s in a dominant position. If Apple only accounted for a small percentage of the market, it could be sidelined by commercial or political interests, but Apple can adopt a robust attitude with regard to privacy because it has the influence, market share, financial resources, technology and most of all the principles to do so.
It’s going to be an increasingly important factor going forward and there are many vested interests trying to fight against it and weaken Apple’s position, but Apple strongly believes that privacy is important. I’m somewhat surprised that there are so many people who do not regard privacy as an important consideration and are happy to offer untold amounts of personal information to private companies such as Google, FaceBook and so many others.
Unless, of course, you are a citizen of People’s Republic of China then your privacy and freedom mean little. Tim Cook has kowtowed to the oppressive Communist regime in order to fill his pockets with filthy lucre.
It’s also a part of the UDHR, specifically article 12, that Apple’s home nation signed but unfortunately that nation only considers their citizens human so if you get labeled by them as aliens, or enemy combatants for example you can kiss those human rights goodbye.
That’s why Apple’s work is so important, being able to keep data on the device, away from the prying eyes of their government that seek to devalue the humane experience, is a feature I hope that will advance humanity.
The way that Americans call other people aliens is insensitive and causes resentment. I remember a few years ago when a British truck driver was delivering t a USAF base in England. He stopped at the check point at the gate, got out and showed his paperwork. The guard picked up his walkie talkie and said “We’ve got an alien needing to deliver stuff to building xyz”. The trucker grabbed the lapels of the guard, pulled him close and said “This is England pal. You’re the f***ing alien”.
With regard to how things are when visitors turn up at America, the border security people can insist that any phone is unlocked and handed over to them and that phone can be taken into another room out of sight of it’s owner. Refusal can mean that they will be denied entry.
I don’t have enemy intelligence or huge secrets on my iPhone, but it does store passwords for all my bank accounts and other sensitive stuff, furthermore I know exactly what has been installed on my iPhone. I would not want an official to be in a position where they can copy and store all of the data on my iPhone or sneakily modify it’s software in any way.
Thank you for your anecdote alanaudio, I certainly have a few of my own down that vein.
I find the term “aliens” a bit over the top myself, especially since foreigner is an alternative term that I find less sensitive but it is their decision to use the term they want in their country. It’s when they go overseas that their insensitivity becomes glaring, as your anecdote illustrates.
That’s why it’s important for Apple to bring forth humane solutions to be our best, as it shows that there is still hope and decent people in that country.
Not using face detection as I do not use the fingerprint system.
Officer I do not remember my password. Can I have my phone back and your badge number? I’m calling the ACLU.