Privacy Articles on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

Givit makes private video sharing from iOS quick and easy

by Mike Schramm (Jan 10th, 2012)

There are plenty of video sharing services online these days -- from the enormously popular YouTube to Apple's own video integration with Twitter, it's quite easy for almost anyone to upload and share video with the public. But Givit's CEO Greg Kostello, who previously worked for both Apple and ...

Apple, Samsung, others sued over Carrier IQ scandal

by Kelly Hodgkins (Dec 5th, 2011)

While the tech world was buzzing last week about Carrier IQ, one group of lawyers was busy preparing a class action complaint. The complaint was filed in Federal Court in Wilmington, Delaware by three local law firms: Sianni & Straite of Wilmington, DE; Eichen Crutchlow Zaslow & McElroy ...

German regulators seek details on Apple's use of Carrier IQ

by Steven Sande (Dec 2nd, 2011)

Apple has already made a statement on the company's use of Carrier IQ, saying that "We stopped supporting Carrier IQ [a piece of software that tracks user activity] with iOS 5 in most of our products, and we're going to remove it completely in a future software update." Apparently that's not good ...

iPhone privacy class action case thrown out

by Steven Sande (Sep 26th, 2011)

It appears that Apple has one less legal headache to worry about. According to Eric Goldman's Technology & Marketing Law Blog, a class action suit alleging that Apple, app developers, and mobile advertising companies violated the privacy rights of iPhone users has been dismissed for lack of ...

Apple joins lobby for privacy rights

by Kelly Hodgkins (Sep 23rd, 2011)

Apple has joined the Digital Due Process group, a coalition of privacy organizations like the EFF and companies that are lobbying to reform surveillance laws in the US. The group hopes to modernize the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) which was enacted in 1986, long before the ...

FTC requires iOS developers to pay $50K fine for collecting user data

by Kelly Hodgkins (Aug 16th, 2011)

App developers writing applications that target children have to be very careful when they collect and store information about their users. They may find themselves the subject of an FTC investigation. The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires websites and other online ...

Senator Al Franken asks iOS developers to provide "clear and understandable privacy policies"

by Dana Franklin (May 26th, 2011)

Following up on requests he made to Apple and Google in his hearing on mobile privacy earlier this month, US Senator Al Franken wrote a letter to the companies' respective CEOs asking them to require all software sold through the App Store and Android App Market to provide consumers with "clear ...

Apple patents privacy displays

by Michael Grothaus (May 23rd, 2011)

Electronista has discovered an Apple patent that would allow users to set privacy viewing parameters on their device's displays in order to keep unwanted eyes from seeing what they are doing. The patent, titled Systems and Methods for Electronically Controlling the Viewing Angle of a Display, ...

iPhone location data to be closely regulated in Europe

by Kelly Hodgkins (May 19th, 2011)

The fuss over the storage of location data by iOS has crossed international waters. The EU data protection advisory panel, a watchdog group that advises the European Commission, has said that location data is personal data. This ruling may lead to further restrictions limiting how this data may ...

Apple and Google headed for round two with Senate privacy hearings

by Chris Rawson (May 17th, 2011)

Following the first round of Senate hearings on privacy last week, representatives from Apple and Google will appear before the US Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance on May 19, according to CNET. In attendance for Apple will be Vice President of Worldwide ...

Half of iPad subscribers willing to share information

by Mike Schramm (May 12th, 2011)

At first, publishers were wary of the terms of publishing for Apple's iPad that would require them to ask consumers whether or not they could use their information. In traditional magazine publishing, magazines would get access to their subscribers' information, and publishers worried that they ...

Apple sued again over location data

by Kelly Hodgkins (May 11th, 2011)

Apple is facing another lawsuit over its handling of location data, according to a report from The Loop. The latest complaint was filed by Lymaris M. Rivera Diaz in the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. Rivera is asking for monetary damages stemming from Apple's ...

The difference between Apple and Google at the Senate hearings

by Victor Agreda, Jr. (May 10th, 2011)

Earlier today, the US Senate judiciary subcommittee held a hearing on privacy, technology and the law. You can view a video of the opening statement by Senator Al Franken from today's hearings here. The purpose of this hearing was to aid lawmakers in understanding if current privacy laws ...

iOS 4.3.3 to fix location tracking issue, due soon

by Kelly Hodgkins (May 2nd, 2011)

A rumor out of BGR suggests iOS 4.3.3 will land in the upcoming weeks. As expected, the update will fix the location tracking issue that blew up last week. In this public debacle, Apple confirmed cell tower and Wi-Fi hotspot information was being stored on the iPhone and 3G iPad to improve ...

Apple, Google to testify at Congressional hearing on location tracking

by Victor Agreda, Jr. (Apr 29th, 2011)

Senator Al Franken released a statement today thanking Apple and Google for agreeing to attend a hearing on mobile technology and privacy. According to Franken, the goal of the hearing is to "serve as a first step in investigating if federal law protecting consumer privacy-particularly when it ...