US House advises Apple to improve app privacy nutrition label accuracy
A U.S. House committee has penned a letter to Apple asking about the accuracy of the self-reported privacy "nutrition labels" on the App Store.
Credit: AppleInsider
The letter, sent by the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce on Tuesday, inquires about recent media reports that many "nutrition labels" contain misleading or false information.
"A privacy label is no protection if it is false," the letter reads. "We urge Apple to improve the validity of its App Privacy labels to ensure consumers are provided meaningful information about their apps' data practices and that consumers are not harmed by these potentially deceptive practices."
The House committee has asked Apple to provide information about the App Store privacy system, including details on Apple's "auditing" process and whether the company takes enforcement action if an app doesn't provide accurate information. It asks Apple to provide answers by Feb. 23, 2021.
In response to reports that nutrition label information is inaccurate, Apple said that "apps that fail to disclose privacy information accurately may have future app updates rejected, or in some cases, be removed from the App Store entirely if they don't come into compliance."
The company has said that it routinely audits the privacy "nutrition labels" and works with developers to correct false or misleading information. Of course, with the number of apps on the App Store, it's not feasible for Apple to routinely correct each app.
Developers were required to submit privacy information on Dec. 8, 2020, to have apps or app updates accepted on the App Store. However, the information is self-reported by developers -- and the accuracy of it is largely based on an honor system.
Credit: AppleInsider
The letter, sent by the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce on Tuesday, inquires about recent media reports that many "nutrition labels" contain misleading or false information.
"A privacy label is no protection if it is false," the letter reads. "We urge Apple to improve the validity of its App Privacy labels to ensure consumers are provided meaningful information about their apps' data practices and that consumers are not harmed by these potentially deceptive practices."
The House committee has asked Apple to provide information about the App Store privacy system, including details on Apple's "auditing" process and whether the company takes enforcement action if an app doesn't provide accurate information. It asks Apple to provide answers by Feb. 23, 2021.
In response to reports that nutrition label information is inaccurate, Apple said that "apps that fail to disclose privacy information accurately may have future app updates rejected, or in some cases, be removed from the App Store entirely if they don't come into compliance."
The company has said that it routinely audits the privacy "nutrition labels" and works with developers to correct false or misleading information. Of course, with the number of apps on the App Store, it's not feasible for Apple to routinely correct each app.
Developers were required to submit privacy information on Dec. 8, 2020, to have apps or app updates accepted on the App Store. However, the information is self-reported by developers -- and the accuracy of it is largely based on an honor system.
Comments
By asking for label accuracy in the Apple App store, Congress is nailing the coffin shut on third party app stores.
You can’t have it both ways.
However, Apple do use the privacy and security of their users personal data as a selling point for their iDevices on iOS. Therefore, Apple should be held to a higher standard when it comes to proving that the personal data of consumers using their products and services are as private and secure as claimed.
Therefore, as stated from other commenters above, Government should not force Apple to allow third party app stores or the downloading of apps from the internet on their iDevices, if they are so concern about the privacy of consumers personal data and the validity of Apple's claim that the personal data of their users are more private and secure than on other companies like products or services. And then expect Apple to do something about it if the users data on their iDevices are not as private and secure as claimed. The choice should be Apple's, as to whether to stop making such a claim or making sure the the users personal data on their iDevices are as secure and private as claimed. Even if it means not allowing third party app stores or downloading of apps from the internet on their iDevices, which would make iDevices inherently less secure. All one has to do is to look at Android devices, as proof.
Now, a third party app store simply has to mirror Google and Amazon by not requiring developers to be transparent about the data they collect and how they use it (aka does not require privacy nutrition labels) and that app store operator will have a flood of app developers, like Facebook, Snapchat, Spotify, and many ad supported apps migrating from Apple's App Store. Interestingly, I don't think that Google would be among the first to move their apps from Apple's App Store to a third party app store with more relaxed regulations.
And also you do realize that the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce is small subset of all members of Congress, and that those members may not share the viewpoints of other members of Congress?
Maybe you missed this:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-congress/facebooks-zuckerberg-grilled-in-u-s-congress-on-digital-currency-privacy-elections-idUSKBN1X2167
Yes you can have both accurate labeling of data collection policies and a requirement that the government be able to access encrypted data. Not seeing how one prevents the other.
Really? Google seems to go to great lengths to market their privacy controls: https://safety.google/privacy/privacy-controls/