Apple Faces New Cybersecurity Law in UK

[Tagbert]

Yup, I trust Apple, a greedy corporation, with my data so that it can use it for its ad platform. I do not like my government to access the data to solve crimes of national importance.

Apple's new ad product pushes it closer to Google

Last week, Apple made news for testing an AI-powered ad product similar to Google’s Performance Max. Apple has been successfully investing in advertising for the past few years. But Google has a multibillion dollar advertising advantage. Even with AI advertising improvements, Apple is nowhere...

www.emarketer.com

What ad program do you think that they run?
The placement ads in the App Store? puhleeze...
The banner ads in the News app that hardly anyone uses?

This is particularly rich considering that Apples biggest competitor in mobile OSs is primarily an advertising company.
Whereas Apple does end to end encryption of your data and has refused to do special OS builds to allow governments to access phones?

Is there any phone OS you could use?

 

[I7guy]

No wonder Apple is surviving without any sanctions because of the quality of your government. /s Just kidding. I don't know which government is yours. But the point is that Apple is no saint, it uses your data exactly like Google for ads.

I give permission to apple to use my data as long as my data doesn’t go outside of apple.

 

[Sophisticatednut]

I give permission to apple to use my data as long as my data doesn’t go outside of apple.

Well are you sure it’s not leaving Apple? Seems hard for advertisers to have targeted advertisement without your information being disclosed

 

[Tagbert]

That’s going to be interesting for all these cheap Chinese cameras and IoT devices.

You mean the ones still using micro-USB for power? or the newer version of this with USB-c but only with a custom cable that plugs into USB-A for power?

 

[I7guy]

Well are you sure it’s not leaving Apple? Seems hard for advertisers to have targeted advertisement without your information being disclosed

It depends whose doing the targeting.

 

[ender78]

Nice one, especially "detailed consumer information on the length of product support and software updates".
I would have wanted a fourth one saying "any connected device need to be supported with security updates for at least 15 years with the last 5 years being offered can contain a small and justified fee"

15 Years ! Yeah that makes sense (aka none).

What you're asking for is possible only if you pay for it. Once the 5-8 years is up, the cost of updates is shared by all those that want them. If there are 100 million of you, you pay 10 a year, if there are 10 of you, you each owe $100 million.

 

[macfacts]

Google is selling YOU! Apple is selling ads based on anonymous data.

You have that backwards, Google sells ads to 3rd parties. Apple is selling access to YOU to app devs and as a gatekeeper collects 15%. You are the product. Hope you enjoy being a tool.

 

[GermanSuplex]

The new digital Wild West, the EU!

 

[Shirasaki]

A number doesn't mean much if critical vulnerabilities aren't fixed. The real metric is number of CVEs fixed.

PSA: Apple isn’t actually patching all the security holes in older versions of macOS

Big Sur got a fix 234 days before Catalina did, although both are supported.

arstechnica.com

Quality over quantity.
I wonder how many critical vulnerabilities that Apple has been made aware of remain unfixed for whatever reason.

 

[Sophisticatednut]

It depends whose doing the targeting.

Well businesses using apples advertising data.
The same way a company uses Google Adsense etc

 

[Beautyspin]

I give permission to apple to use my data as long as my data doesn’t go outside of apple.

No ad company gives the data away. Even Google and Meta will not give the data away. 101 of advertising.

 

[CarAnalogy]

If this applies to all companies that manufacture smart devices, I would imagine Apple is probably one of the most compliant of most manufacturers already.

From reading the article, it seems the only thing they don't already do is explicitly state support lifetimes, and I would love to see them do that.

 

[Beautyspin]

What ad program do you think that they run?
The placement ads in the App Store? puhleeze...
The banner ads in the News app that hardly anyone uses?

This is particularly rich considering that Apples biggest competitor in mobile OSs is primarily an advertising company.
Whereas Apple does end to end encryption of your data and has refused to do special OS builds to allow governments to access phones?

Is there any phone OS you could use?

Does it matter where they run the ads? It just happens that they are running them there now. They will expand. They are making $10 billion in ad revenue. However, Apple's ad revenue is growing at a faster rate than Google's, at 21.2% compared to 10.3%. And Apple faces several antitrust cases for its ATT, which denies others the same data that it uses for ads. All the privacy talk is for gullible people.

You mean the same company that handed over the customer data and encryption keys to China? Jumps when Chinese government says jump? Oh.

On Android I can monitor the data that is going out using specific apps. On iOS, I can only use Apple blessed apps.

 

[Beautyspin]

There is a stark contrast between Google's advertising and Apple's.

Google is selling YOU! Apple is selling ads based on anonymous data.

In that article you linked, there's this...

This is how Google Ads work.

What Is Google Ads & How Does It Work? A Comprehensive Guide

Thinking about starting with Google Ads? Read our comprehensive guide to get ready for the next step.

www.semrush.com

This is the difference between Apple and Google ads.

A Comprehensive Guide to Google Search Ads and Apple Search Ads

Innovative advertising strategies have emerged in the ever-evolving field of digital marketing as a result of the convergence of creativity…

vikeshniitsouthx.medium.com

What cookie alternatives? Oh ya... users "signed into" Chrome. Google gets your data. Google was even busted collecting Incognito data!

There goes your saint's sleazy actions while collecting data

Apple sued for collecting user data despite opt-outs

Doesn't matter what the data is, they thought they pushed the off switch, argues complaint

www.theregister.com

 

[scorpio vega]

it uses your data exactly like Google for ads.

No they don’t sense apples business model is not based on harvesting your data and selling it. Apple is also far more transparent than google is for what they do use your data for. Apple is no saint but I trust apple more than anything from google.

 

[ozaz]

However, I could see a scenario where Apple only guarantees 3 years of updates or something low like that and then "surprises and delights" with additional years of support. Classic under promise, over deliver, which would be in the spirit of this law. Although this might affect consumer choice if other brands offer longer terms. The thing is, many other companies don't offer more than a few years. Only recently did Google start offering longer software support updates for their products.

I reckon they'll feel compelled to commit to around 7 years (which is around what they end up doing anyway). Google now commits to 7 years support on their Pixel phones and Samsung has matched this on their most recently launched flagship (S24). I'd be surprised if Samsung didn't up their commitment from 5 to 7 years on more of their lineup this year.

Other Android phone makers are probably not as relevant in the minds of most consumers making an iPhone vs Android choice. Having said that, they are also improving. I think 4 years security updates is probably currently the norm for several others (perhaps excluding the really cheap handsets). But they do currently make it hard to find that information, which will hopefully be improved by this legislation.

Although it's niche and not a significant competitor to Apple, Fairphone is interesting in the area of support. They have committed to 8 years software support with their most recent phone, with an ambition to push it to 10 years. They have a track record of going beyond initial commitments which suggests that may be achievable.

 

[Reverend Benny]

15 Years ! Yeah that makes sense (aka none).

What you're asking for is possible only if you pay for it. Once the 5-8 years is up, the cost of updates is shared by all those that want them. If there are 100 million of you, you pay 10 a year, if there are 10 of you, you each owe $100 million.

Most connected things such as cars, phones, IoT need to be updated and as I see it theres a few ways to achieve this.

1. Is to force the manufacturer by law to update devices
2. Subscription, forced or voluntary, but i'm for both of these.
3. Buy the device as a "service" so that the manufacturer can make money from it and are interested in delivering updates.
4. Cripple devices that aren't updated, ISP, manufacturer etc basically blocks connectivity and functions untill the device is updated and allowed online.

Take modern cars, they suffer from the same problem as we do with devices such as smartphones, they rely on updates. Haven't seen any legislation on how long these need to be supported.

 

[Sophisticatednut]

No they don’t sense apples business model is not based on harvesting your data and selling it. Apple is also far more transparent than google is for what they do use your data for. Apple is no saint but I trust apple more than anything from google.

Well… as apples revenue stagnates and they continue to expand in advertising, that might not stay true for long.

The difference between how Apple and Google “sell” your information is getting smaller as the efficiency and growth needs to increase.

 

[Unggoy Murderer]

Zoom? 🤔

Ah I should have said malware like Zoom. They've been caught out on at least a few occasions now doing naughty things on macOS. Installing an insecure web server to circumvent Safari's browser security for "one click" meetings, the installer running its installation payload at the prerequisite stage to name a couple.

 

[Beautyspin]

No they don’t sense apples business model is not based on harvesting your data and selling it. Apple is also far more transparent than google is for what they do use your data for. Apple is no saint but I trust apple more than anything from google.

Just because you trust Apple does not make them transparent.
No Ad company sells user data as it is their most valuable commodity. They sell ad space. Both Google and Apple.

"Google makes money from any ads shown on its browser, so it is monetized. The reason they provide so many excellent services for free (Google Chrome, Google Docs, Google Drive, etc.) is to build trust and loyalty with consumers. Over time, consumers will always go for a Google product, if given the option. They are just familiar with it and trust the brand. It's actually a brilliant marketing strategy.

However, Google does collect your data, but this is mostly for themselves to understand their target audience. Confidential data that you have not agreed to be shared will not be shared. It is very illegal, and big companies with large standings don't like to take such risks."

Same as Apple, which also sells ad space in the store and news.

 

[I7guy]

No ad company gives the data away. Even Google and Meta will not give the data away. 101 of advertising.

Then I’m good. As long as apple chooses which advert to serve me up I’m good with it.

 

[I7guy]

I reckon they'll feel compelled to commit to around 7 years (which is around what they end up doing anyway). Google now commits to 7 years support on their Pixel phones and Samsung has matched this on their most recently launched flagship (S24). I'd be surprised if Samsung didn't up their commitment from 5 to 7 years on more of their lineup this year.

Other Android phone makers are probably not as relevant in the minds of most consumers making an iPhone vs Android choice. Having said that, they are also improving. I think 4 years security updates is probably currently the norm for several others (perhaps excluding the really cheap handsets). But they do currently make it hard to find that information, which will hopefully be improved by this legislation.

Although it's niche and not a significant competitor to Apple, Fairphone is interesting in the area of support. They have committed to 8 years software support with their most recent phone, with an ambition to push it to 10 years. They have a track record of going beyond initial commitments which suggests that may be achievable.

iPhone 5s got an update pushed last year I believe. So there that.

 

[Sophisticatednut]

Then I’m good. As long as apple chooses which advert to serve me up I’m good with it.

Exactly like google and meta then. For me I’m not okey with apple serving me adds. That’s one of the reasons why I went with apple instead of anything from Google. But that choice has been killed largely.

Untill I can install an app blocking all such data from being collected by Apple

 

[LV426]

Memo from UK Gov to Apple: "Cheers. Don't forget the 2016 Snooper's Charter, where you must allow us to snoop on customers, and keep quiet about doing so."

 

[I7guy]

Exactly like google and meta then. For me I’m not okey with apple serving me adds. That’s one of the reasons why I went with apple instead of anything from Google. But that choice has been killed largely.

Untill I can install an app blocking all such data from being collected by Apple

Perfect. I’m sure with apple, google and meta your data has never left their servers ever.