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Apple's Privacy Policies Are Keeping Data Scientists Away

Posted by samzenpus on from the no-data-for-you dept.

An anonymous reader writes: The Cupertino-based global device giant is falling behind in the race to create 'predictive' services for smartphones because its privacy policies are too protective of the end-user. Data retention policies on user-centric information gathered into its Siri 'personal assistant' product is a reasonably generous six months, whilst information retained from the user's exploration of Apple Maps expires after only 15 minutes. As a consequence Apple's smartphones attempt to crunch a great deal of user-data locally rather than in the cloud.

7 of 117 comments (clear)

  1. I don't understand something by Gaygirlie · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why is this written as if it was a negative thing?

    1. Re:I don't understand something by Dr.+Evil · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Why would you think that an advertising company would respect your privacy?

  2. One Word by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    GOOD

  3. Wait, what? by bmo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Privacy is bad?

    After looking at the new Galaxy S6 that my wife just got, and seeing that the weather app (Accuweather) requires the most fine-grained GPS (gps+nearest wifi routers) just to give you the bloody weather(they don't trust you to put in a zip code or city manually), I am all out of fucks to give these "data scientists."

    Enough with the data mining and privacy stripping. The optimism I had for ubiquitous computing available to all - giving people access to uncensorable communications - that I had back in the 80s through 90s, is now replaced by the pessimistic vision of Telescreens being installed not by fiat, but for mere consumer convenience.

    As for Accuweather: Accuweather is fucking /gone/ and a shortcut to mobile.weather.gov is on the homescreen.

    --
    BMO

  4. Summary by BigBuckHunter · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Summary: Joseph Gonzalez, co-founder of Dato, is miffed that his product is unable to exploit Apple's user base an it is hurting their revenue stream. He whines about it to Reuters and they write a sensationalist article. The end.

  5. Google Apple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    We've given too much flak on Apple and their overpriced products,
    however if this is the only company that truly cares about end-user privacy then Apple is truly better in all ways over Google

  6. Re:Google Apple by echnaton192 · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I beg to differ, it does count:

    1. Entering the american border with an electronic device storing sensitive data is not an option for foreigners. With Android, the resetted device contains both the sensitive data stored before and the keys used to encrypt the device. Apple simply throws away the key stored in the cpu, leaving only unreadable data.

    Worse: Some Android manufacturers have not implemented whole device encryption correctly to this very day. And bitlocker is a joke on windows

    2. Before Android did a similar thing with Android, I could allow or disallow location information, using of photos or personal data for every single app. On Android it was "accept or decline".

    3. As Apple uses standard protocols, I could sync my calendar, my contacts and my notes using a very privacy-aware provider (posteo.de). Try that with Android, you need additional programs. On Windows, it is not really possible, offering only to sync with icloud or google or microsoft (meaning a sync with the NSA). Owncloud or safer providers are a nightmare for data revenues, so windows and android make it as hard as possible to integrate safer cloud solutions.

    There might be some information shared with advertisers and the NSA. The powers that be might be able to track us from time to time. But the privacy gain is significant as it more secure by design. More secure, not "most secure".