iOS 14.3 and iPadOS 14.3 dropped today, and one of the most anticipated new feature is the App Privacy Label. Similar to nutrition labels found on food, Apple has required all developers to provide this information so users will know what collected are used to track them or that is linked to them. Here’s a preview of some of the applications (in no particular order) that already complied with the requirement:
Facebook and Instagram
Twitter and Tweetbot
Apple’s FaceTime and Clips
Zoom and Microsoft Teams
Signal and Viber
Landbank, PayMaya and GCash
DuckDuckGo and MeWe
As you can see, the amount of data that some of the applications above collect and use. If this isn’t a concern for you, then please think whether it is a concern of anyone on your Contacts (remember, some applications access your Contacts/Addressbook).
One thing that you may have notice, there is no application from Google on the list — no Gmail, no Google app, nothing. Google has NOT yet complied with the requirement to provide these privacy information about their applications, similar to GCash application above.
If you don’t know why it is such a big deal to worry about your privacy, specially your online privacy, then it is a good idea to read University of Oxford Professor Carissa Veliz’s essay, “Privacy matters because it empowers us all”, at Aeon.co.