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Apple is allegedly harvesting users' data even when privacy settings are off

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Apple is known for its solid stance on protecting the privacy of its users. However, that seemingly started to change when they introduced ads into the Apple services and apps. On a related matter, the Cupertino giant is now facing a new lawsuit stemming from an alleged breach of its own privacy terms in collecting usage data.

A group of security researchers called Mysk have discovered that Apple continues to harvest apps and users' data even when the personalized ads setting is switched off on iPhones. The app in question is App Store on iOS 14.6, which is shown in a video where the logs are instantly sent to Apple. Coincidentally, the software mentioned is the succeeding version when an app tracking feature was added.

More official Apple apps are affected

According to the group, the practice is still prevalent on iPhones running iOS 16. Additionally, the App Store is not the only app to be affected. Official apps like Apple Music, Apple Books, and Apple TV are found to have the same issue despite disabling the sharing of analytics.

The data that is collected includes all activities, everything from what a user clicks, searched, and duration of how long you navigated an app, among others. Device details like the preferred keyboard language and type of wireless connection are also sent along the way, said by the source.

Because of the incident, a lawsuit has been filed against Apple by an individual in California. The company has not released a new statement regarding the current debacle whether this was a glitch or a deliberate step on improving its advertising initiative.

With Apple offering more ads into its apps, do you think it will change how you look at the company? Are you willing to use a premium handset with forced ads built into the system? Let us know your answers in the comment section below.

Via: Gizmodo Source: YouTube/u/Mysk

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Jade Bryan

Jade Bryan
Junior Editor

I still remember how amazed I was when I first got hold of the Nokia 3210 back when I was a kid, and it was during that time I developed my love for technology, particularly for mobile phones. I started sharing my knowledge through writing in different blogs and forums back in Nokia Nseries era. I even make videos before where I put different phones side-by-side. Today, I'm still an avid enthusiast of smartphones, but my interests have evolved into smart devices and electric vehicles.

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    storm Nov 15, 2022 Link to comment

    I rather expected this.

    Jade Bryan