One of the biggest changes in iOS8 is the fact that your data - photos, messages, emails, contacts and call history - is placed under the protection of your passcode, which Apple cannot access. Whereas on iOS7, if a law enforcement agency knocked on Apple’s door with a seized device and a search warrant, Apple would’ve been able to break in and access your data.
On a new website launched on Wednesday that details how Apple uses your data, the Cupertino company made it clear that your personal information is (sort of) safe from law enforcement and the government.
“On devices running iOS 8, your personal data such as photos, messages (including attachments), email, contacts, call history, iTunes content, notes, and reminders is placed under the protection of your passcode.
“Unlike our competitors, Apple cannot bypass your passcode and therefore cannot access this data. So it's not technically feasible for us to respond to government warrants for the extraction of this data from devices in their possession running iOS 8.”
It’s important to note that Apple is explicitly talking about “devices” running iOS 8. Your iOS 8 device will be protected by your passcode, which Apple can’t access. But anything stored off your device, for example on iCloud, then Apple will have to comply with local laws when it comes to handing information over to law enforcement agencies.
In that circumstance, Apple claims that it will only comply if a search warrant has been issued, and even then it only divulges the “narrowest set of information possible in response.” What exactly that means, however, is not made immediately clear on its new transparency website.
Cook also reiterated that Apple doesn’t work with governments to share its customers information: “We have never worked with any government agency from any country to create a backdoor in any of our products or services. We have also never allowed access to our servers. And we never will.”
Apple is less clear cut when it references national security related requests, simply saying that they are rare (250 in the first six months of 2014) and that it can’t legally say any more on the subject. However, it’s likely that Apple has significantly less say in what it hands over if the data request is deemed a matter of national security.
The best defence is a good offence
You will have noticed the line “unlike our competitors, Apple cannot bypass your passcode and therefore cannot access this data.” Clearly, this is a swipe at
It’s also Apple’s answer to the iCloud hacking scandal, where hundreds of personal photos of celebrities leaked online by a hacker. Apple has gone on the offensive by ‘opening up’ with this new transparency pledge and accompanying website, but also attacking its competitors for not taking privacy seriously.
In Tim Cook’s letter to customers, he set out the company’s line on the monetisation of personal data: “A few years ago, users of Internet services began to realize that when an online service is free, you’re not the customer. You’re the product. But at Apple, we believe a great customer experience shouldn’t come at the expense of your privacy.”
He continued: “Our business model is very straightforward: We sell great products. We don’t build a profile based on your email content or web browsing habits to sell to advertisers. We don’t “monetize” the information you store on your iPhone or in iCloud. And we don’t read your email or your messages to get information to market to you. Our software and services are designed to make our devices better.”
