General Can Apple Hack Me? Concerned About Information They Are Requesting From Me

[ghsDUDE]

I reported an issue with my HomePods last week and received a call back from Apple yesterday.

They said they wanted to figure out what specifically was causing my issue and asked me to submit some diagnostics to them (attached are the screenshots).

Can Apple get access to any important personal information on those logs I submitted?

Also, today they called me back and requested if they could install some log on my iPhone to specifically capture certain HomePod behavior? I told them I was busy and they would have to call me back, but I’m honestly worried about doing this?

I know Apple is a great company and they protect privacy...but the unknown of doing this concerns me. I obviously want to help them address the issue but I’d prefer not to submit any additional information or install logs from them.

Any feedback or support on how to proceed would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Apple_Robert]

If you feel uncomfortable proceeding, let them know in a polite manner.

You can always change your IP address, not to mention your MAC address later on.

Depending on the problem, the logs may be the only way to find the problem and subsequent fix.

 

[jpn]

apple is obviously taking yr particular case seriously.
they are acting responsibly. probably because there are others in the same situation as you and they want to get ahead of the curve.

it is most certainly true that if you install this kind of tracking then apple knows more than normal about yr activities.
and, there is no guarantee that the problem will be fixed until there are software updates released for all machines.

your reaction is paranoid however since its OBVIOUS they will know more about yr location etc etc.
its CLEAR that will happen. but you yourself you have control over it.
debugging requires alot more info.
to call this "hacking" is ridiculous.

you got a response due to Phil.
either you are serious or not.

 

[ghsDUDE]

If you feel uncomfortable proceeding, let them know in a polite manner.

You can always change your IP address, not to mention your MAC address later on.

Depending on the problem, the logs may be the only way to find the problem and subsequent fix.

Thanks. I guess I’m not as concerned about my IP Address....more about my passwords/messages/safari history/emails/etc.

1) Does Apple get access to any of that stuff? Or just the bare necessities to solve the problem?

apple is obviously taking yr particular case seriously.
they are acting responsibly. probably because there are others in the same situation as you and they want to get ahead of the curve.

it is most certainly true that if you install this kind of tracking then apple knows more than normal about yr activities.
and, there is no guarantee that the problem will be fixed until there are software updates released for all machines.

your reaction is paranoid however since its OBVIOUS they will know more about yr location etc etc.
its CLEAR that will happen. but you yourself you have control over it.
debugging requires alot more info.
to call this "hacking" is ridiculous.

you got a response due to Phil.
either you are serious or not.

Sorry, I didn’t mean hacking...I guess I just wanted to know if they could get access to my personal data? Like passwords/messages/safari history/etc.

1) Did the first set of logs provide a bunch of info about me (or just the bare necessities)?

2) Is it safe to assume that allowing them to install some type of log will give them more information than what I sent earlier?

 

[Mr_Brightside_@]

They get access to the bare necessities. If you’re concerned, ask them specifically what they get. No one here knows better.

 

[Knight3]

Thanks. I guess I’m not as concerned about my IP Address....more about my passwords/messages/safari history/emails/etc.

1) Does Apple get access to any of that stuff? Or just the bare necessities to solve the problem?

Sorry, I didn’t mean hacking...I guess I just wanted to know if they could get access to my personal data? Like passwords/messages/safari history/etc.

1) Did the first set of logs provide a bunch of info about me (or just the bare necessities)?

2) Is it safe to assume that allowing them to install some type of log will give them more information than what I sent earlier?

They could probably have access to your personal data like queries you made on your HomePod and how your iCloud account has been used as well as Safari history. But your passwords and messages are end-to-end encrypted and they wouldn't be able to read any of those.

And yes, enabling to log allows them to track how you'd be using your device like the date and time you accessed a certain feature or websites but the encrypted information like the passwords and messages would still be inaccessible.
Enabling the logging is like a manager supervising his employee. He can see where she's going and what color dress she's wearing at work and how she's interacting with the customers but he can't access her thoughts.

Most of your personal stuff like the actual data or files stored in the iCloud, your Apple Health data, your photos etc will always be encrypted. They might be able to log who you're calling or texting and the duration of the calls and signal strength but not the content of the calls or texts itself.

So in essence, yes, they'll only be collecting what's relevant to the issue and your personal info like Name and Address which would be deleted promptly once they get to the bottom of this. NO need to fret.

I'd advice you to smash the damn thing into a thousand pieces and light them on fire if it were Google or Facebook though.

 

[DeanL]

Look, when you sent an email to Phil, you ought to have know that they would need more than just your description of the bug to solve the issue. At this point it's wasting everyone's time if you sent an email to him just to vent with no intention to actually help them to solve the issue.
Just ask them what they are collecting and if you're uncomfortable just tell them to they can go to the next case.

 

[ghsDUDE]

Look, when you sent an email to Phil, you ought to have know that they would need more than just your description of the bug to solve the issue. At this point it's wasting everyone's time if you sent an email to him just to vent with no intention to actually help them to solve the issue.
Just ask them what they are collecting and if you're uncomfortable just tell them to they can go to the next case.

I already sent them logs. I’m trying to understand what they got from those logs.

I’m also asking about what they install on my device to gather more information. I didn’t mind sending the logs, but I’ll let them know I feel uncomfortable allowing them to install something to capture additional information.

 

[mtngoatjoe]

Relax. They don't care about your German dungeon porn fetish.

 

[NT1440]

Relax. They don't care about your German dungeon porn fetish.

But if it was French, oh boy...

Relax OP, even if it did allow access to your private information (they don’t) they simply don’t care enough to look. The IT field is a relentless grind, whatever worker is assigned to your case probably has 50+ others in progress as well.

 

[tkukoc]

The logs that are generated report connectivity activity between devices and additional accessories. What exactly is your "issue" with homepod? No passwords or anything of that nature are included in the logs only references if you use homepod to unlock something, which cannot happen anyway. SIRI responses are also locked down so only references to using SIRI would be indicated within the logs as well. These are just extremely basic things that would be noted. More than likely they are looking at how your devices are connected to your home network and the interaction between them. Based on this data they can better understand any "potential" outliers. They are looking at specific points of data in the logs based on whatever "issue" you reported only.

 

[LogicalApex]

I already sent them logs. I’m trying to understand what they got from those logs.

Your privacy concerns are very well warranted and I am of similar mind on privacy so I'm very cautious about sharing any more data than I feel is absolutely necessary (and if what is needed exceeds my comfort I will decline). When you were sending Apple the logs they give you an option on screen to see exactly what is in the logs that are being sent across. I would recommend opening that link so you can see exactly what they are getting and you can determine if you feel that is too invasive.