How do the new privacy settings work in iOS 14?
Already announced during WWDC Apple 2020, the new privacy features on the iPhone are already available to users thanks to the public beta of iOS 14 launched in early July. In fact, Apple has introduced many interesting features, such as App Clips which allow you to download only small parts of an app to use them briefly, rather than installing the entire application.
Although a large part of the novelties of iOS 14 concern new methods thanks to which our personal data on smartphones will be increasingly secure.
Good news, considering that information has now become the new “digital gold”. In fact, there are companies specialized in the purchase and resale of data (called in jargon “data broker“) and often our personal data ends up in the hands of the highest bidder (who will use that data usually for commercial purposes) .
App permissions and privacy policies on the App Store are clearer
When it comes to surfing the web on a computer or iPhone, we often rely on a VPN to protect personal data while browsing the Internet and keep your searches, online purchases, economic transactions safe.
But when it comes to applications, the pitfalls for our privacy often increase dramatically. We all know that many apps collect our data, activities and how we use apps in general. All information which is then resold to data brokers or advertising circuits.
The transparency of the privacy policy is always low, but with the iOS 14 update there will be big changes:
- Apps on iPhone will need to require permission to track the activity of users outside the app itself
- Each app must have a “label” information, i.e. a screen where it is shown what data the app collects, how it intends to use the information collected and will pass it on to third-party services
Indicators for Microphone and Camera in use on iPhone
Not everyone trusts having a camera all the time pointed at him, which is why it sometimes happens to see pieces of scotch or other “artisanal” remedies to cover the PC webcam. But an iPhone camera can’t certainly be hidden in the same way.
When iOS 14 comes out in September 2020 you won’t have to worry about problems like this anymore: when an app activates the camera, but also the microphone, an indicator will activate on the iPhone to notify us.
Approximate location on iPhone
The “big data” market is growing year after year and it is always us who pay the price, the end users of products or services. Selling personal data is a very hot topic nowadays ‘today, although not all people are aware of it.
The giants of the web and the advertising circuits try in every way to gain more and more information about our habits, going so far as to track not only our browsing on the Internet but also our movements in real life.
In fact, many apps use data on our location for commercial purposes, given that the iPhone always provides the exact location to the apps that request it.
However, that is set to change with the introduction of the approximate location of iOS 14. With this new privacy feature, users will be able to deny apps sharing their exact location and share the approximate location.
The iPhone will then only show the apps an area, or a circle of 10 square miles, where the user with the device is located somewhere inside.
Private MAC address for public Wi-Fi
Apple has also decided to add a function to prevent tracking of iPhones when they are connected to public Wi-Fi, which can be activated from the smart phone settings.
Basically, iPhone will give each Wi-Fi network it connects to a different MAC Address, rather than always using the same passcode for each network it connects to.
The dangers of public Wi-Fi are many in fact and it is certainly a good move by Apple, even if there are already valid methods for browsing safely and become invisible online, keeping your personal data safe.
Notifications for iPhone Clipboard
In the clipboard of an iPhone texts, url, images are stored, which are copied and then pasted somewhere else. So far so normal, but did you know that applications can read this data?
Just to warn iPhone owners, iOS 14 will warn us every time an app accesses the clipboard. It’s one thing if a browser app like Chrome, Safari, or Opera does it, which needs access to the clipboard to allow you to paste its content into the search or URL bar.
It’s another matter when applications that don’t need it to do it, like TikTok which reads the iPhone clipboard (along with other applications). The reasons remain unclear: TikTok claimed the app was doing this to fight spam messages but was ultimately forced to drop that feature from the app.
