Sorry to be bumping such an old thread, but I thought it'd be better for me to bump an old thread than creating a new thread with a similar question. Also, a lot has changed since 2017 with so many cloud Apps and with users storing much more information in the cloud.
I want to store my most personal files on my Apple devices and Apple's iCloud.
My question:
Does Apple care about user privacy more than other companies like Dropbox, Microsoft and Google?
Is Apple more likely to share my personal data like my photos with other companies or other entities?
At one level this is imponderable. We don't know whether any company really cares, we only know what they say and do.
End User Licensing Agreements should give some guidance, if we read them. A company's public statements about privacy should give some guidance, if we read them. In the end, though, it's always going to be about
earning trust.
Of the companies listed, the primary business of Apple, Dropbox and Microsoft is to sell products and services to a customer base. As their primary revenue streams come from customers willing to pay for services (whether those customers are consumers or corporations/institutions), any exposure/sale of that data would shake customer trust in that business.
Google has always been suspect because its business is based on selling access to users - targeting advertisements to the "right" audience. It gives free services away in exchange for those users' attention and the ability to track their behavior. Even if the contents of a Google Drive account turn out to be just as secure as the contents of iCloud, DropBox, or OneDrive, there's the nagging doubt that "you don't get something for nothing."
However, there's "user data" and "user data." Does Google, Apple, DropBox or Microsoft have the right to share data you have uploaded to what ought to be private storage (Google Photos/Google Drive, iCloud, OneDrive, DropBox)? That should be a resounding NO, and it likely is. They may be obligated to share that data with government entities, but it should not be available to anyone else.
Then there's "data about users" - the kind of information Google gathers whenever you touch a web browser - sites visited, buttons and links clicked, etc. The information Facebook gathers because of everything you post there, everything you view there. You're putting it out there in "public," so they consider it fair game.
Is Apple more or less likely to share your personal data with other companies or entities? Again, for personal data storage, Apple should be equally likely - the likelihood should be zero for all those companies. However, Apple, more than others, has been very vocal about privacy, so they leave themselves in a more vulnerable position - the consumer backlash should Apple be found to be lying about this would shake the economic foundation of its business - its relationship with its customers. Without customer loyalty, Apple can't charge premium prices or expect a constant stream of repeat business. Unlike DropBox and Microsoft, which make the bulk of their revenues from corporations, Apple is primarily dependent on individual consumers.