In yet another push towards being transparent, Apple today added a new section to its Privacy website that shows privacy labels for all Apple-developed apps.
Ahead of the major iOS 14.5 update, which enables App Tracking Transparency for apps on iOS, Apple has updated its privacy website that enables us to see the privacy labels of all the apps Apple develops, both pre-installed on iOS and offered by Apple on the App Store.
The website highlights privacy labels for apps across all the platforms like iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS, so some apps like the GarageBand appear more than once. The section also highlights privacy labels of development like Xcode and even the Apple App Store. The list provides the comprehensive detail of all the apps offered by Apple.
“Our privacy labels are designed to help you understand how apps handle your data, including apps we develop at Apple. This page brings privacy labels for our iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS apps together in one place.”
Introduced with iOS 14, App Store privacy labels requires the developers to submit a full report of all the data collected by the app. Developers are required to list all the data of the user that the app interacts with, such as contacts, photos, financial information, location, messages, and more.
Earlier this year, a report broke out that highlighted that the privacy labels of many apps was found to be inaccurate. Many developers reported that the app collected data and the data was being shared with Google and Facebook, which isn’t reported on the App Store. WhatsApp also criticized App Privacy labels, saying that Apple favored its own messaging apps.
Do you notice the privacy labels of apps before you install them? What is your take on App Store’s privacy labels? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
