Slashdot Mirror
'I Asked Apple for All My Data. Here's What Was Sent Back' (zdnet.com)
"I asked Apple to give me all the data it's collected on me since I first became a customer in 2010," writes the security editor for ZDNet, "with the purchase of my first iPhone."
That was nearly a decade ago. As most tech companies have grown in size, they began collecting more and more data on users and customers -- even on non-users and non-customers... Apple took a little over a week to send me all the data it's collected on me, amounting to almost two dozen Excel spreadsheets at just 5MB in total -- roughly the equivalent of a high-quality photo snapped on my iPhone. Facebook, Google, and Twitter all took a few minutes to an hour to send me all the data they store on me -- ranging from a few hundred megabytes to a couple of gigabytes in size...
The zip file contained mostly Excel spreadsheets, packed with information that Apple stores about me. None of the files contained content information -- like text messages and photos -- but they do contain metadata, like when and who I messaged or called on FaceTime. Apple says that any data information it collects on you is yours to have if you want it, but as of yet, it doesn't turn over your content which is largely stored on your slew of Apple devices. That's set to change later this year... And, of the data it collects to power Siri, Maps, and News, it does so anonymously -- Apple can't attribute that data to the device owner... One spreadsheet -- handily -- contained explanations for all the data fields, which we've uploaded here...
[T]here's really not much to it. As insightful as it was, Apple's treasure trove of my personal data is a drop in the ocean to what social networks or search giants have on me, because Apple is primarily a hardware maker and not ad-driven, like Facebook and Google, which use your data to pitch you ads.
CNET explains how to request your own data from Apple.
The zip file contained mostly Excel spreadsheets, packed with information that Apple stores about me. None of the files contained content information -- like text messages and photos -- but they do contain metadata, like when and who I messaged or called on FaceTime. Apple says that any data information it collects on you is yours to have if you want it, but as of yet, it doesn't turn over your content which is largely stored on your slew of Apple devices. That's set to change later this year... And, of the data it collects to power Siri, Maps, and News, it does so anonymously -- Apple can't attribute that data to the device owner... One spreadsheet -- handily -- contained explanations for all the data fields, which we've uploaded here...
[T]here's really not much to it. As insightful as it was, Apple's treasure trove of my personal data is a drop in the ocean to what social networks or search giants have on me, because Apple is primarily a hardware maker and not ad-driven, like Facebook and Google, which use your data to pitch you ads.
CNET explains how to request your own data from Apple.
If you believe that's all they have on you then you are the kind of sucker born every minute.
"
[T]here's really not much to it. As insightful as it was, Apple's treasure trove of my personal data is a drop in the ocean to what social networks or search giants have on me, because Apple is primarily a hardware maker and not ad-driven, like Facebook and Google, which use your data to pitch you ads.
"
Why can't they make a decent wifi antenna then?
I'd work for them and develop it, I'm not trying to complain and I have applied at these places but they are just too god damned high and mighty to actually read anything. Objective C huh.
There's really not much to it. As insightful as it was, Apple's treasure trove of my personal data is a drop in the ocean to what social networks or search giants have on me, because Apple is primarily a hardware maker and not ad-driven, like Facebook and Google, which use your data to pitch you ads.
Dang... I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of Apple hating conspiracy theorists suddenly cried out in righteous fury and fired up their flamethrowers..
[T]here's really not much to it. As insightful as it was, Apple's treasure trove of my personal data is a drop in the ocean to what social networks or search giants have on me, because Apple is primarily a hardware maker and not ad-driven, like Facebook and Google, which use your data to pitch you ads.
You can thank the fact that iAds failed miserably (because Facebook and Google already locked-down the ad sector) or they'd have even more information on you, given the lock-in/walled-garden approach they have.
Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
Why the fuck is Apple using Excel?
Lots of data that is stored "anonymously" turns out to relatively easy to re-attribute to specific users. They just don't store it that way and so can pretend they don't know who's in there. It just takes someone to sweep up all the data and put the ID tags back on.
.. of the scene in Das Leben der Anderen where Dreyman goes to the Stasi headquarters to view all the files they had on him. They bring out hand trucks with boxes full of paper files.
Isn't technology wonderful? Now they can just hand you a thumb drive.
Have gnu, will travel.
> The zip file contained mostly Excel spreadsheets,
Looking at the screenshots, one can see a bunch of .csv files. Text files where data is comma separated. That's hardly an excel spreadsheet, though one can use excel to look at those.
Go on. Rationalize.
Come on, stupid... You can be an Apple customer (iOS, ITMS etc.) without owning a computer that runs macOS and Numbers ("its own spreadsheet program").
Yah, so I'm sure there is a ton of info being stored on social media and as an Apple customer, I'll be curious to see what they have on me as I don't use Siri or Facetime or any other Apple services. Google, yah, I'm on YouTube but that's it as I don't use Google Search. Time for to find out what's out there--As we all should and work towards pairing down our public footprints.
You can thank the fact that iAds failed miserably (because Facebook and Google already locked-down the ad sector)
You are assuming that is why iAds failed. The whole point of iAds was that Apple would not collect data the way other advertisers were - so is it any wonder iAds did not gain traction when the advertisers could not acquire a huge amount of demographic data on you?
Apple has never changed it's approach on privacy, not even for advertising. Even if iAds had worked they still would have nothing more on people than they do today.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
This post has given me an idea. Google are now claiming to comply with the EU GDPR regulations, so I can submit a request to them for all the personal data they hold on me and they are required to give it to me. Should be an interesting read. It will be also interesting to see how they define holding my personal data for 'no longer than necessary' and how they justify that.
I'd like to know what Google stores about me.
I don't think I can simply request that, though.
I use Search, Maps, Earth, YouTube, and two Android devices, but I don't have a Google account.
So Apple doesn't send a Numbers spreadsheet? It sends Excel?
Numbers can export Excel document nimrod, they sent out what they thought would be most compatible...
Only someone as stupid as an Apple Hater can take a positive action by Apple (sending out the most portable document format) and pretend it's a negative.
I can tell why you post as AC, to hide your shame (which is substantial). But you know in private, we all know you cry yourself to sleep at night...
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Makes you wonder if they can really make sure that it is not the wrong person requesting all that data.
This Slashvertisement brought to you buy Apple.
Anything else you want to tell us about this wonderful company while you are here?
Control the narrative: Dismiss concern.
Massive amounts of personally identifiable info is sent to microsoft if you're using windows 10, no option to turn it off and yet here we have people crying about apple who gives you an easy way to opt-out of everything.
I am more surprised at the lack of data that Apple has collected from the author of the article. Apple may care more about your privacy than the other companies because it could certainly choose to scrape more data from your service usage and sell it as an additional source of revenue. A 1/2 dozen spreadsheets worth of data is probably not all of that useful beyond debugging and software and hardware improvements.
I doubt that Apple uses MS Access and Excel to store data on billions of customers. He likely received CSV data files.
âoeNone of the files contained content information -- like text messages and photos â Well, if I remember well, last time I changed an iphone, after the setup process it had my past conversations, which i thought was neat, yet it also means that Apple does store the data, perhaps in a way that can only be decrypted using your password.
I write âoeif I remember wellâ since I may be confusing with icloud. It is definitely the case, and desirably so of course as it is its reason of existence, that your photos and other apps that use icloud are kept bu Apple. Again it all depends whether this is encrypted against their possible own snooping.
I want to know all the information MS has on me after nearly 30 years of using DOS and Windows in a variety of devices. I suspect none from DOS, a little from Win3.1, and a growing amount with each version of Windows from 98 on up.
Come on, stupid... You can be an Apple customer (iOS, ITMS etc.) without owning a computer that runs macOS and Numbers ("its own spreadsheet program").
Well, if you are an Apple customer and don't have a Mac, you can still use Numbers on your iPhone, or at iCloud.com.
Of course news about a fake are Fake News.