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Credit to Author: Jonny Evans| Date: Wed, 08 Jan 2020 06:54:00 -0800<\/strong><\/p>\n Your iPhone (like most smartphones) knows when it is picked up<\/a>, what you do with it, who you call, where you go, who you know \u2013 and a bunch more personal information, too.<\/p>\n The snag with your device knowing all this information is that once the data is understood than that information can be shared or even used against you.<\/p>\n Jane Horvath, Apple’s senior director for global privacy, appeared at CES 2012 to discuss the company\u2019s approach to smartphone security.<\/p>\n She stressed the company\u2019s opposition to the creation of software backdoors<\/a> into devices, and also said<\/a>:<\/p>\n \u201cOur phones are relatively small and they get lost and stolen. If we’re going to be able to rely on our health data and finance data on our devices, we need to make sure that if you misplace that device, you’re not losing your sensitive data.\u201d<\/p>\n Her approach is correct, of course. After all, once you create a security backdoor for one government, you\u2019ll be forced to share them with every government.<\/p>\n Once this happens it\u2019s only a matter of time before that information leaks into the hands of bad actors, with the result that no one\u2019s data is safe.<\/p>\n Enterprise data will also become less safe, which threatens the security of connected infrastructure across the board.<\/p>\n Think of a security backdoor as being a hole in a bucket that only gets larger over time.<\/p>\n Eventually the bucket stops working, water gets everywhere and all your secrets slip.<\/p>\n Apple\u2019s approach to security:<\/p>\n What\u2019s important to understand with this model is that while much of the information your device gathers is protected (unless you grant permission to specific apps to access it), data held in iCloud is not subject to the same protection and can be made available subject to warrant.<\/p>\n At the same time, Apple\u2019s privacy protections can be confusing \u2013 it\u2019s recent decision to make it possible for people to opt out of sharing Siri recordings for \u2018grading\u2019 was welcome, but the tools are still rather opaque<\/a>.<\/p>\n This is why Apple has teams whose job it is to help law enforcement with criminal\/security queries.<\/p>\n The information on your device is impossible to access, while data held in your iCloud is accessible once a warrant is presented and agreed.<\/p>\n Not only can a great deal of information concerning location also be gathered by request from cellular providers, but some of the most incriminating information is almost certainly available in the less-secured iCloud account.<\/p>\n Horvath referred to this during her CES 2020 appearance when she confirmed the company uses a set of tools to scan iCloud Photo libraries for child pornography<\/a>.<\/p>\n To me it seems reasonable to assume that those aren\u2019t the only egregious acts Apple might monitor accounts for. That Apple actively already works to protect the public rather undermines the argument that even more access to personal data is required.<\/p>\n On an industry-wide basis, there\u2019s still too much confusion.<\/p>\n Internet services have been offering convenience in exchange for personal information for so long that many people have become accustomed to sharing data.<\/p>\n Added to which, the lack of a consistent set of principle or access protocols with regard to user privacy makes for a\u00a0lack of a core set of agreed consumer privacy standards.<\/p>\n Apple seems to believe government regulation is required in order to help promote a more consistent approach to privacy.<\/p>\n “We should consider a strong privacy law that is consistent across all 50 states that provides all consumers, regardless of where they live, the same protections,” said Horvath.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve some way to go, as those continued attempts to force tech firms to create those security backdoors in their products prove some in government don\u2019t grasp the challenge of privacy in a digital age. (Though some do get it<\/a>).<\/p>\n While we wait for the industry and government to figure out a consistent approach, here are some guides to help iOS users manage their privacy using the tools Apple provides:<\/p>\n Finally, I currently recommend iPhone users take a look at the incredibly useful Jumbo app.<\/a> This provides a range of privacy management and monitoring tools designed to easily put you in charge of what entities such as Apple, Facebook, Google or others are doing with your information.<\/p>\n Please follow me on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>, or join me in the\u00a0AppleHolic\u2019s bar & grill<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Apple Discussions<\/a>\u00a0groups on MeWe.<\/em><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.computerworld.com\/category\/security\/index.rss<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Credit to Author: Jonny Evans| Date: Wed, 08 Jan 2020 06:54:00 -0800<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n