In November, Gizmodo exclusively reported that Apple harvests data about its users even after they flip the switch on an iPhone privacy setting that promises to “disable the sharing of device analytics altogether.” Since then, consumers across the country have filed at least 12 different class-action lawsuits about the problem. Apple ignored dozens of questions from Gizmodo and other reporters, until now. In an article in The Hollywood Reporter, Apple finally broke its silence—with a statement that seems to include glaring contradictions.
“Identifiable information is never shared with third parties and is not used to track users across apps and websites,” Apple said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “All data used for advertising purposes is disassociated from personal identifiers, and Apple Advertising operates on the basis of de-identified data.” Apple did not respond to yet another request for comment from Gizmodo.
Tests conducted by researchers at Mysk, an app development company, suggest that almost every fact in that statement is inaccurate.
“Apple’s statement is too short and generic to clearly and accurately address our findings,” said Tommy Mysk, one of the researchers who uncovered the problem.
Open up your iPhone’s settings, tap “Privacy & Security,” and scroll down to “Analytics & Improvements.” There you’ll find a setting label “Share iPhone Analytics.” Toggle it on and off all you want. Tests from Mysk found that Apple collects device analytics data, no matter how you adjust the control.
Mysk’s tests showed…
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