Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – In a major push towards data transparency, Apple will now begin showing a summary of app privacy practices before users download them to their phones from the company’s app store.
The company began rolling out new stickers on Monday that will explain the type of user data collected and shared for each app, from financial and location information to browsing and purchasing history. Stickers will be added to more apps in the coming days.
At its annual global developer conference in June, Apple likened the new feature to nutritional information labels. “For food, we have nutritional labels,” said Eric Neuschwander, director of user privacy. Or maybe both – all before you buy it. So we thought it would be nice if you had something similar to the apps. “
Previously, developers were required to have a privacy policy and to add its link on the product page in the Apple App Store, but the new stickers will display them in an easy-to-understand visual format. They will be displayed near comments and details about in-app purchases.
The poster itself has 3 main sections: “data used to track you”, such as information collected for advertising purposes, “data related to you” or data related to the user’s identity through his account on the application or device or any other details, and “data that is not related to you” , Which is data collected but not linked to an account.
Apple said the goal of this effort is to make it easier for people to understand when accessing or sharing data, so users won’t be surprised to learn what is collected next. However, some questions remain about implementation.
Last month, Apple sent a survey to developers to inquire about data collection practices. According to the company, developers who haven’t completed this will not be able to update their existing apps until they do. If the data collection practices change after providing the information, they will be asked to resubmit the questionnaire.
It’s still unclear how often developers should self-report and how Apple oversees the sheer number of responses. Apple did not immediately respond to a question in this regard.
