Tech giant Apple projects itself as a privacy-focused firm, but according to the latest research, the company might be contradicting its own practices when it comes to collecting App Store data.
According to a Twitter thread published by an iOS developer and security researcher Tommy Mysk, Apple tracks customers' activity via 'Directory Services Identifier' or DSLD which is linked to the customer’s iCloud and is able to collect private data like name, email address, and contacts.
What’s more worrying is that the revelations reported in the thread state that even if customers switch off device analytics in the ‘Settings menu, the company deploys this dsId to other apps too.
“Apple’s analytics data include an ID called “dsId”. We were able to verify that “dsId” is the “Directory Services Identifier”, an ID that uniquely identifies an iCloud account. Meaning, Apple’s analytics can personally identify you,” Mysk tweeted.
However, the tech giant’s Device Analytics & Privacy document says that none of the user information collected is linked to that individual, suggesting that as a user, you would appear anonymous.
“None of the collected information identifies you personally. Personal data is either not logged at all, is subject to privacy preserving techniques such as differential privacy, or is removed from any reports before they’re sent to Apple. You can review this information on your iOS device by going to Settings > Privacy & Security > Analytics & Improvements and tapping Analytics Data,” the document reads.
Even though Apple continues to prattle that it is a privacy-oriented firm that values customers’ privacy and focuses to give them more control over what data they want to share or not share with advertisers and app designers, it can still employ DSLD for its own personal benefits, whatever those may be.
Earlier this month, Gizmodo reported that a lawsuit was filed against Apple, with the plaintiff stating that Apple illegally siphons user data even when the firm's own privacy settings promise not to. The lawsuit was filed based on Mysk’s research; however, the researcher was unable to analyze the data in iOS 16 due to its encryption.
