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Apple Will Judge Call, Email Activity To Assign Users a 'Trust Score' (theinquirer.net)

Apple recently updated its iTunes privacy policy page, making mention of a "trust score" it gives iPhone users on how they make calls or send emails. The INQUIRER reports: "To help identify and prevent fraud, information about how you use your device, including the approximate number of phone calls or emails you send and receive, will be used to compute a device trust score when you attempt a purchase," Apple explained. "The submissions are designed so Apple cannot learn the real values on your device. The scores are stored for a fixed time on our servers."

In practical terms, the Cupertino crew will only look at Apple account usage patterns and hoover up metadata rather than more personal, and potentially damning information. [T]he data collection and trust score assigning should help Apple better spot and dodgy activity going on in Apple accounts that aren't in keeping with those of the legitimate users. [I]t's not entirely clear how Apple will use the metadata to actually spot fraud, as it hasn't explained its workings.

6 of 106 comments (clear)

  1. Just like communist China! by sgage · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Better look over your shoulder, and mind how you use your iPhone, because Your Score is being calculated. This is just a bit too much, and you know it will be gamed and spoofed. It's just another hit to your privacy. But no one seems to care anymore...

  2. Difference: by SuperKendall · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Google: Knows who you call, analyzed converted text of entire conversation, scanned every email for content and stored that on servers.

    Apple: Doesn't care who you called just that you called 10k different numbers, Siri reads email to look for context and helpful suggestions, but sends no data to Apple servers to do so. It would send Apple a note if again, you had emailed 10k people in the last hour....

    Now do you really want people to get away with mass spam/robocalling on mobile devices?

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  3. What could possibly go wrong? by JustNiz · · Score: 3, Insightful

    So now Apple are going to be able to directly affect peoples lives entirely based on some undisclosed criteria made up in secrret by a bunch of hardcore liberals. What could possibly go wrong?
    http://fortune.com/2017/10/17/...

  4. Start the countdown by PopeRatzo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The submissions are designed so Apple cannot learn the real values on your device.

    How long do you think it'll be before some hackers prove this data can be de-anonymized?

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  5. Re:Duh by Bert64 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The thing is, legitimate people do suddenly change their daily routine, for instance by going on holiday...

    These anti fraud systems often result in false positives which are extremely painful for the legitimate users. For instance, i just had one of my cards blocked while on holiday, and the only way to unblock it is to call the bank during working hours. This might sound reasonable until you consider...

    On holiday, making a phonecall back to your home country is often difficult and expensive.. Hotels usually charge a premium for phonecalls especially international ones, mobile roaming is usually extremely expensive, cheap local sims often block international calls by default and the instructions to enable them are in the local language which you might not understand, international calls are generally very expensive unless you have a specific calling plan - which you wont have access to. You may well be paying multiple dollars per minute to make a call.

    The bank is likely to keep you on hold for a long time, further multiplying the cost.

    Some banks require you to call from your registered callerid, which forces you to use mobile roaming at whatever extortionate rate the operator charges.

    They need to use messaging services instead of insisting on phonecalls, not only would it be much cheaper when travelling (virtually all hotels now offer free wifi), but its also more convenient and cheaper - instead of sitting on hold waiting for an operator your message goes into a queue, you can get on with something else while you wait for a response and won't be spending money while your waiting.

    --
    http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
  6. Re:Uhh by willy_me · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Thats when your phone and card will stop working?

    More like, that is when you can not use your phone in place of a card. Nothing is stopping you from using your card directly. A slight loss of convenience is all that will result should this go wrong. And I see no indication that your phone would be disabled. Purchases using Apply Pay - yes, but who cares about that in a time of emergency.