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Tim Cook Says Apple's Customers Are Not Its Product, Unlike Facebook (arstechnica.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Apple CEO Tim Cook said in an interview with MSNBC and Recode on Wednesday that Silicon Valley, and notably Facebook, should be far more careful with its customers' data in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica disclosures. "I think the best regulation is no regulation, is self-regulation," he said, according to Recode. "However, I think we're beyond that here." Cook reiterated points that he and former CEO Steve Jobs made previously, that Apple's business model -- unlike Google, Facebook, and many other tech companies -- is predicated on selling physical products rather than capturing data about customers. "We've never believed that these detailed profiles of people that have incredibly deep personal information that is patched together from several sources should exist," he said, according to The Wall Street Journal. "The truth is, we could make a ton of money if we monetized our customer -- if our customer was our product," he added. "We've elected not to do that."
Strange.
In recent compliance audits for GDPR regulations in the EU, we've been unable to get any kind of statement out of Apple about where they store iCloud and other data, and whether it's held compliant to either the GDPR or Data Protection Act.
http://www.applegazette.com/ic...
Their policy flat-out contains a line that is illegal under EU data protection rules and prevents almost any company that processes any kind of personal data (even "this is your name and email for your iTunes account) from using them::
https://www.apple.com/uk/legal...
"All the information you provide may be transferred or accessed by entities around the world as described in this Privacy Policy."
Which is the same "no answer" answer I've had out of them when I've asked over the last ten years. They pay lip-service, but I ain't going to court to explain why my user's EU-protected ended up in Outer Mongolia.
The reason, of course, is obvious. iCloud is actually just Amazon, Microsoft and Google storage depending on whatever they bought this month:
https://www.theregister.co.uk/...
Maybe they give a shit in the US, but in the EU they have absolutely no interest and, hence, lose a lot of custom. Ironically, they claim to have focus "on education" now with new educational-models of iPad. Hilarious seeing as we can't legally store children's data on them.
Yep, if your child's school is using iCloud or even iTunes in any fashion, ask to see the data protection guarantee.
Do yourself a favour if you work in IT in the UK/EU and are checking for GDPR compliance - take all your Apple gear and bin it now.
I think that this is just marketing. If you read Apple's privacy policy it is actually pretty bad. It's basically the extreme case of "all your data are belong to us" and we'll use it however we want.
You are aware that Apple runs an Ad network, right?
https://developer.apple.com/ne...
https://developer.apple.com/ne...
Apple's ad platform allows advertisers to purchase ads based on previous purchases according to news articles. I've never personally placed an ad, but I think the above statement is intentionally misleading. Maybe they don't use the data from Apple Pay specifically, but they allow advertisers to target based on past purchases in the App Store and iTunes at least.
Non-personal information according to Apple:
occupation
language
zip code
area code
unique device identifier
referrer URL
location
time zone
customer activities on our website, iCloud services, our iTunes Store, App Store, Mac App Store, App Store for Apple TV and iBooks Stores and from our other products and services
We may collect and store details of how you use our services, including search queries.
"We may collect, use, transfer, and disclose non-personal information for any purpose."
"At times Apple may make certain personal information available to strategic partners that work with Apple to provide products and services, or that help Apple market to customers."
"Apple and our partners and licensees may collect, use, and share precise location data, including the real-time geographic location of your Apple computer or device."
Source:
https://www.apple.com/legal/pr...
Apple also uses differential privacy which according to these articles isn't as non-personal as they claim:
https://www.wired.com/story/ap...
http://appleinsider.com/articl...
I'm sorry if I'm disappointing you, but Apple is making money off your personal information just like every other major tech company. Apple doesn't document how much they make from ads. This article claims they probably make about $1 billion a year off search ads, but that doesn't include Apple News adds, iTunes ads, App Store ads, and in-app ads. The total mobile ad market is estimated at $20.86 billion, but I don't know how much of that is Apple's share. Based on Apple's earning's report, their share isn't more than $8.5 billion (total for Apple "services"), but I don't know where in the $1 to 8.5 billion range the total is.
https://mobiledevmemo.com/appl...
This message is encrypted with Quad ROT-13 to protect the author's copyright under the DMCA.
Err, yes, Apple, Google, and Microsoft all rip 30% off your products. Very generous of them, I'm sure. Used to be, a tithe was 10%.
Their privacy policy is precisely why I'm surprised they're not selling data.
Then again, then sell tracking data via their ad network, and they sell the ability to sell to their customers (at a 30% tax)... so Cooks' statement is, in reality, patently false. If we, Apple's users, did not exist, they would find themselves unable to sell ads or access to their digital storefronts; we are what they're selling there.
APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
"The truth is, we could make a ton of money if we monetized our customer -- if our customer was our product,"
It's kind of axiomatic that if the service is free, you're the product..which you are for Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, etc....
Have you ever even met somebody who is in business selling products?
Retail markup + box + packing + manuals + shrinkwrap + media (CD/DVD) + sales processing (credit card 2% tax) and finally marketing & product placement all take a sizable chunk out of a product's price. The general recommendation I've been told JUST for marketing overhead is 30% of the budget!
Now 30% might seem at the high end of the classic business model but it depends on the market. Apple wants to keep all the gains of going online for themselves rather than for the publishers (who often take an undo share while developers... like everywhere else the value creators often get the least in the chain of leeches.) The App store has a massive exposure with the promise to move much higher volume -- like how major brands PAY for shelf placement in the isles. Apple doesn't yet do a version of this but makes everybody pay more to be in the store.
I don't know if 30% is a good deal. It doesn't sound all that bad if you price accordingly and are clever in selling direct at a lower price-- where it is likely that the App store sales beat your own website... I've noticed more apps going on their store exclusively. They must have done the math for their situation.
Democracy Now! - uncensored, anti-establishment news
Years ago Steve Jobs submitted a patent for operating system level modal ads. I don't think more needs to be said regarding how Apple considers its customers.
Among other disclosures, an operating system presents one or more advertisements to a user and disables one or more functions while the advertisement is being presented. At the end of the advertisement, the operating system again enables the function(s).
http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi...
lucm, indeed.
Apple's customers are not its product. Apple's customers are it's MINDLESS SLAVES, as we have known for years.
--- Sent from my iMac.
Your cherry-picking of paragraphs in the policy in isolation to describe your conclusion is not convincing to me. You also left out elipses on a sentence to indicate that you cut it off in the middle. I.e.,
"...Apple and our partners and licensees may collect, use, and share precise location data, including the real-time geographic location of your Apple computer or device."
At some point, Apple is expecting this document to stand up in court. If, to support their secret nefarious activities, it has to be interpreted so selectively and creatively, they have to expect that a judge will side with them and say "hey, it doesn't matter what we said at the beginning of the paragraph, here it says that we could do anything we want! "
It seems like an absurd interpretation of the privacy policy.
It's not a perfect document, but it's much better than what you you carve it up, scramble, misquote and quote out of context.