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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.

21 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 theArtificial · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Apparently protecting information is taboo, go figure.

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    2. Re:I don't understand something by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Does this imply Android users are being tracked heavily (like Win10) by these so-called data scientists?

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

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

    4. Re:I don't understand something by Gaygirlie · · Score: 2

      Not me. I'm going to stick with Android. But I do think it's a very positive thing on Apple's side of things that they are protective of peoples' privacy and try to do all the crunching locally. It's something I would like to see from Android - devs and manufacturers, but, well, the pessimist in me says "no effing chance, just prepare your anus."

    5. Re:I don't understand something by CodeArtisan · · Score: 4, Interesting

      This, plus they are a hardware company and don't trade in data. Data scientists aside, it's also tough as a developer trying to get any useful stats on the apps you sell on the app store. But again, Apple is a hardware company and doesn't really worry too much about that either,

    6. Re:I don't understand something by NatasRevol · · Score: 2

      No, it's strictly opt-in. If it's on, it's because you turned it on.

      BULL

      FUCKING

      SHIT

      You're a liar and you should feel bad.

      --
      There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
    7. Re:I don't understand something by NatasRevol · · Score: 2

      Apple's bet seems to be paying off:

      https://twitter.com/dtellom/st...

      --
      There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
    8. Re:I don't understand something by Austerity+Empowers · · Score: 2

      "Data scientist", "Sanitation Engineer", why can't we call these people what they are? "Paid Busybody"

    9. Re:I don't understand something by swillden · · Score: 2

      No, it's strictly opt-in. If it's on, it's because you turned it on.

      BULL

      FUCKING

      SHIT

      You're a liar and you should feel bad.

      I can support my assertion, can you?

      http://www.androidcentral.com/understanding-googles-android-location-tracking

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    10. Re:I don't understand something by swillden · · Score: 3, Informative

      There is basically 3 levels. Do nothing. Which is fairly wide grained. Basically city level. Opt in which is about every 15-30 mins it signals in (more if you use something like google maps). Opt out. Where like you said you can go in and delete it. But you have to specifically turn it off. You have to go out of your way to make all the other apps not do it as well. The default is basically grab it when you open up something.

      No, what you say is incorrect in several ways. Just to verify I grabbed a device and factory-reset it, then walked through the process. During setup, here's what I'm asked (with respect to location):

      Let Google's location services help apps find your location quickly and accurately, which can reduce battery consumption. Anonymous location data will be sent to Google, even when no apps are running.

      Improve location accuracy by allowing apps and services to scan for Wi-Fi networks and Bluetooth devices, even when Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are off.

      I don't know whether you want to call that "opt in" or "opt out"... it's a forced decision.

      Later in the setup process comes the Google Now prompt. If you sign up for Google now, it will turn on a lot of history, including, search and browsing activity, calendars, apps, music, battery life, sensor readings, location history and voice searches and commands. Again, it's a forced decision.

      Having refused all of that, now if I go look at my location settings I see that I'm in mode "device only". If I tap on that, there are three levels: "High accuracy", which uses GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and cellular networks, "Battery saving" which uses Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and cellular only (no GPS), and "Device only", which uses only GPS. So you're right that there are three levels, but wrong about what they are. "Device only" isn't city-level, it's GPS-precise... but because GPS is a battery killer it's only on when apps specifically request it. "Battery saving" is the mode you called the lowest, which is coarse-grained but energy-efficient because it doesn't use GPS. "High accuracy" uses all of the efficient signals, plus kicks on the GPS when you need it.

      None of that has anything to do with location history though. It's defines the precision of location data available to apps. It may also be sent to Google, but anonymized and not stored with your account.

      Also in the location settings is "Google Location History". That is what controls whether location information is uploaded to Google, associated with your account and stored. It's completely separate from the location accuracy settings; you can turn it on while accuracy is set to "Device only" and it will upload your position whenever it actually knows it. That will be when you're using Maps or similar. Or you can turn it on with accuracy set to "Battery saving" and it will upload your location regularly, but not very precisely. Or you can use it with "High accuracy" and give Google highly-accurate history (which you can then use whenever you want, too).

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    11. Re:I don't understand something by gl4ss · · Score: 2

      take a new android phone, create a new google account and boom you're opted in and logged in the browser too.

      how the fuck is that opt out?

      or wait... are you suggesting that logging in with a google account is logging in?

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      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    12. Re:I don't understand something by jandrese · · Score: 2

      Predictive services are a double edged sword. On one hand it's great if your phone can do something for you before you even know you need it, but it's very easy for a scenario like that to backfire unexpectedly and disastrously.

      "Beep boop, you almost forgot your anniversery, I have ordered flowers for your SO".
      "But, my anniversery isn't for another 4 months...oh shit the mistress!"
      "Honey, why is there a charge on our card to the flower shop for an anniversary special? And where are the flowers?"

      --

      I read the internet for the articles.
    13. Re:I don't understand something by BasilBrush · · Score: 2

      Predictive text is local. It doesn't require giving some corporation your data.

      Try again.

    14. Re:I don't understand something by macs4all · · Score: 2

      Irrelevant in the face of user complaints. The point is no matter how much you think apple is a hardware company its users will grill it for bad software.

      They can keep on making solid gold watches, unless their software keeps up they will lose against the competition.

      The only reason you say that is "irrelevant" is that it nicely defeats your specious statement about Apple Maps. The truth is, Apple didn't have a choice with the Google Maps thing; Google knew they had Apple by the short hairs, and decided to start pulling... Apple IN NO WAY wanted to develop a mapping service, period.

      Apple "Losing"? That's a good one! A LOT of Companies would like to be "losing" like Apple is!

      So, hate on, hater boy; the more you rant, the sillier you sound.

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

    GOOD

  3. Data scientists?? by evil9000 · · Score: 2

    I dont think Data Scientists would be concerned about Apple's privacy policy because of all the words around it and how they execute it. If Data Scientists want anonamised data, just ask apple.

    Maybe you meant to say: Preadatory Information Stealing Businesses and self-named Entrepreneurs?

    Or would that take too much space? /. has changed in recent years. Now anictodal evidence of something is proof of something else which is completely unproven.

  4. 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

  5. Good by MrKaos · · Score: 2

    More companies should do this. Well done Apple and, thank you.

    --
    My ism, it's full of beliefs.
  6. 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.

  7. Re:good by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 4, Interesting

    But... but... how are companies going to monetize paradigm synergies in your data, if they don't have your data?

    Apple is the most profitable company in the history of the world, and they make nearly all their money by selling hardware. They don't need to monetize data, and they have much more to lose than to gain by another NSA tracking scandal. The data can't be hacked or subpoenaed if it is never collected.