Apple details what it does and doesn’t collect in Privacy website refresh

Apple logo (space 001)

Apple on Tuesday refreshed the Privacy section of its website with new information on what “we do and don’t collect.” In a post titled “Apple’s commitment to your privacy,” Apple CEO Tim Cook explains the great lengths his company goes in order to protect your private data from prying eyes.

Among other things, Apple’s approach to protecting your privacy entails employing strong encryption and strict policies that govern how all data is handled.

Apple will update this micro-site with new information on a timely basis, meaning at least once annually or “whenever there are significant changes to our policies.”

Apple prides itself of the fact that its users are not a product—“We don’t build a profile based on your email content or web browsing habits to sell to advertisers”—while reiterating it doesn’t “monetize” the information you store on your iPhone or in iCloud.

“A few years ago, users of Internet services began to realize that when an online service is free, you’re not the customer,” Apple writes. “You’re the product. But at Apple, we believe a great customer experience shouldn’t come at the expense of your privacy.”

“And we don’t read your email or your messages to get information to market to you,” reads the website. In terms of advertising, Apple notes that “one very small part of our business does serve advertisers, and that’s iAd.”

We built an advertising network because some app developers depend on that business model, and we want to support them as well as a free iTunes Radio service. iAd sticks to the same privacy policy that applies to every other Apple product.

It doesn’t get data from Health and HomeKit, Maps, Siri, iMessage, your call history, or any iCloud service like Contacts or Mail, and you can always just opt out altogether.

The refreshed Privacy section offers links to the following sections:

Our Approach to PrivacyHow Apple protects your privacy and encrypts your data and communications in services like iMessage and Apple Pay.

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Manage Your PrivacyThis webpage offers information pertaining to privacy-related features provided by Apple products, from iOS devices to Macs. Users are also offered tidbits on staying protected from malware threats and online phishing scams.

Apple Privacy update iOS Privacy settings iPhone screenshot 001

Government Information RequestsThis section details how Apple handles government requests for user data. “I want to be absolutely clear that we have never worked with any government agency from any country to create a backdoor in any of our products or services,” says Cook. “We have also never allowed access to our servers. And we never will.”

Apple Privacy update Government requests

For those wondering, less than 0.00673 percent of Apple customers have been affected by government information requests thus far.

New Privacy PolicyThis is Apple’s updated privacy policy which the company says will update “whenever there are significant changes to our policies,” or at least once annually.

It’s interesting that even though ads are served in iOS 9’s new News app based on the articles you read, this information cannot be used to target ads to you outside the News app. “We never provide publishers with information to track you,” the firm affirms.

Source: Apple