iTunes MiniStore now asks for your permission
We're happy that Apple has now decided to turn off the iTunes MiniStore by default when you install and run iTunes 6.0.2. Advocates worried about data that the MiniStore was sending back to the Apple mother ship will be slightly appeased that Apple has added a warning pop down message at the bottom of the iTunes window. The message warns that data will be sent to Apple, but that Apple will not store said data.
Personally, I think most advocates are slightly delusional if they think that Apple wasn't collecting your listening preference data before. I'm not sure this makes the idea of a data logging MiniStore any less offensive however.
[via Boing Boing]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dan said 11:43AM on 1-18-2006
It would be nice if the store and Mini-store had an Amazon-style "not interested" tick box so I wouldn't have to look at Chris Brown by default. Perhaps as it monitors me 1984-style it will become more adept at showing me stuff I'm interested in.
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epple said 11:52AM on 1-18-2006
I really think that people need to get a grip over Apple and look at the bigger problem of Microsoft. Their whole operating system tracks what you do unless you run something like Anti-XP. I think we should be applauding Apple for giving us features like The Mini-Store and Just For You, as well as giving us easy options for disabling them.
BTW when I upgraded my iTunes I had to go into the pull-down menus to activate the Mini-Store, it wasn't in my face by default. So maybe I just wasn't aggravated into action. ;)
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Mac Diva said 12:08PM on 1-18-2006
Seems to me that the "Just for You" program that comes up when one is at the Music Store must work the same way. And, if you have signed in to make purchases, the information from that can be linked through your account information to your name. Don't get me wrong. I am not paranoid about either "Just for You" or the Mini Store. But, it seems odd that people are having kittens over the latter, but not the former.
I think I resigned myself to this kind of lack of privacy when Amazon started sending me emails when my favorite writers had released new works -- before I even knew the books were out. It is nosy, but helpful.
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PXLated said 12:37PM on 1-18-2006
I think the whole issue is somewhat mute. If you use a credit card, the card company knows more about you already than Apple ever will. And the card companies sell that info. Apple's the least of your worries.
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henrrrik said 12:46PM on 1-18-2006
As long as I can turn it off I don't care.
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LD said 1:03PM on 1-18-2006
Please give us this proof you seem to have that Apple was collecting data before, or even with the mini-store. You've made a bold claim now back it up.
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Matt said 1:19PM on 1-18-2006
Apple wasn't tracking your listening habbits. The most they could have been tracking is which songs in your library you clicked on. The mini-store only updates when you click on a song, not when you listen to a song, it's a very important difference.
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GadgetTV said 1:41PM on 1-18-2006
Who really cares if they see what music i have in my library. If you have something to hide than dont use itunes.
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Brock Batsell said 3:06PM on 1-18-2006
I must concur with LD there is no evidence that Apple was tracking any listening habits before (and privacy advocates would have found it in a heartbeat). The Just For You program within iTMS works by analyzing your past purchases or albums you had marked "Already Own It" or "Don't Like It".
You can't simply throw around claims of privacy violations as significant as you just did if you wish to retain any sort of credibility as a news source.
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LD said 5:56PM on 1-18-2006
No TUAW response to these bold claims?
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VanillaSpice said 10:15PM on 1-18-2006
Can't help but echo LD and Brock - Apple never collected listening data, so they couldn't have been storing it. The only data profile that could possibly have been assembled was 'titles that you've clicked on', and you are not going to conveniently click on a representative sample of what you're listening to.
Considering you could rename any old mp3 to look like a commercial track, the data would also not be of any help to RIAA and their ilk.
Crying 'wolf' will inevitably reduce the effectiveness of any outrage against genuine privacy invasions.
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jtarheel said 11:34AM on 1-19-2006
You have already been able to turn off the Mini-store window from the Edit Menu.
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Dinesh babu said 1:24PM on 1-19-2006
I was thinking about this Ministore and I guess it could be an Indication that we might soon have this on Front row and we should be able to buy it using the remote. May be, when we get the Wireless iPod, the ministore could feature on the iPod and one should be able to download songs right into the iPod... Just my guess!
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LD said 3:25PM on 1-19-2006
So, no TUAW response to the outrageous claims made by their contributor?
I suppose since this has fallen off the front page they hope it will just fade away and die.
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