Apple, Inc. says it is concerned about privacy, to the point where it even uses it as an advertising point. In keeping with this, Apple claims to offer users the ability to choose whether they will be tracked or not and whether their data will be collected or not, through several settings on Apple mobile devices. But the complaint for this class action alleges that even with the settings turned off, Apple still tracks users and collects user data.
The class for this action is all natural persons who, when using their Apple mobile devices, had their user data tracked or collected by Apple, even though they had their “Allow Apps to Request to Track,” “Share iPhone Analytics,” “Share iPhone & Watch Analytics,” or “Share iPad Analytics” settings turned off.
A recent Apple advertising campaign plastered billboards with the words, “Privacy. That’s iPhone.” Apple also claims to offer its users the ability to turn off tracking and data collection with a number of settings, such as “Allow Apps to Request to Track.” If this setting is turned off, the complaint alleges, “Apple assures its device users that apps ‘can’t access the system advertising identifier (IDFA), which is often used to track’ and are ‘not permitted to track your activity using other information that identifies you or your device, like your email address.’”
Other purportedly privacy-related settings, including “Share iPhone Analytics,” “Share iPhone & Watch Analytics,” and “Share iPad Analytics,” have privacy settings that the complaint alleges promise to “disable the sharing of Device Analytics altogether” when they are in the switched-off mode. According to the complaint, this leads users to believe that if they turn off these settings, they will not be tracked and their data will not be collected.
However, the complaint alleges that “Apple secretly tracks and collects a wide range of User Data, even when mobile device users have turned off” these settings.
How do we know this? The complaint alleges, “A recent study from two app developers and security researchers at the software company Mysk found that mobile device users’ privacy settings had no effect on Apple’s data collection when using a number of Apple apps—the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, Books, and Stocks—as Apple’s tracking remained the same whether or not the privacy settings were turned on or off.”
“For example,” the complaint claims, “Mysk discovered that the App Store harvests information about every single thing mobile device users do in real time in the app,” and “collect[s] details about a user’s mobile device as well…”
In addition to all this, the complaint alleges that Apple also “collects a Directory Services Identifier that is tied to a mobile device user’s iCloud account, linking their name, email address, and more to the harvested User Data.” Thus the complaint alleges that Apple breaks its own privacy promises.
Article Type: LawsuitTopic: Privacy
Most Recent Case Event
Apple Collects Data Even with Settings Turned Off Complaint
February 10, 2023
Apple, Inc. says it is concerned about privacy, to the point where it even uses it as an advertising point. In keeping with this, Apple claims to offer users the ability to choose whether they will be tracked or not and whether their data will be collected or not, through several settings on Apple mobile devices. But the complaint for this class action alleges that even with the settings turned off, Apple still tracks users and collects user data.
Apple Collects Data Even with Settings Turned Off ComplaintCase Event History
Apple Collects Data Even with Settings Turned Off Complaint
February 10, 2023
Apple, Inc. says it is concerned about privacy, to the point where it even uses it as an advertising point. In keeping with this, Apple claims to offer users the ability to choose whether they will be tracked or not and whether their data will be collected or not, through several settings on Apple mobile devices. But the complaint for this class action alleges that even with the settings turned off, Apple still tracks users and collects user data.
Apple Collects Data Even with Settings Turned Off Complaint