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Apple requires account deletion within apps in AppStore starting January 31

developer.apple.com

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Re: Apple requires account deletion within apps in AppStore starting January 31

#41

Post by SllX »

madars wrote: post #4
gumby wrote: post #2

Wonder if this can be used to unsubscribe from The NY Times?

I heard you can change your address to California, which then gives the option to cancel online (due to state law). It is absolutely ridiculous that NYT will happily take your card info online, but require you to be on hold to speak with their "customer care" to cancel. Maybe it is time to use virtual CC's a la privacy.com.

I dunno. I cancelled the other day now that I no longer care about the pandemic data and it was basically just three minutes of politely stonewalling in a chat box saying “No Thanks, please cancel my subscription.” a couple of times.

I live in California and would have tried cancelling online but actually couldn’t find the option. I can’t say it was difficult to cancel though once I picked a process and initiated it. Maybe that was the online option now that I think about it? I was expecting a button or link.

Re: Apple requires account deletion within apps in AppStore starting January 31

#42

Post by vineyardmike »

colpabar wrote: post #17
codetrotter wrote: post #5

For the most part a very good thing. Wonder what that means for third-party HN client apps though, since HN accounts cannot be deleted.

Great point! It's definitely a step in the right direction, but my immediate thought was "what about all the sites that don't actually delete anything?" Hopefully apple makes a more user-friendly announcement about this that will introduce people of the concept of data retention and how "deleting" an account isn't really deleting anything.

> my immediate thought was "what about all the sites that don't actually delete anything?"

Thats the whole point :) Apple is saying they need to or no iphone app.

Re: Apple requires account deletion within apps in AppStore starting January 31

#43

Post by mehrdada »

Despegar wrote: post #33
jackdeansmith wrote: post #16

Feels to me like public pressure is on Apple to actually justify their argument that their App Store policies are for the benefit of their customers. If that results in more policies like this that really do improve customer experiences, that's not the worst outcome.

The App Store policies were always for the benefit of customers (and Apple). These policies will keep happening because the basic incentive of Apple's business model has been unchanged since 2008.

Indeed many people do not remember that Android ecosystem at the beginning deliberately was on the side of the developer (and Google) as opposed to the user with its lax permissions and liberal access to the system and took its leisurely time to add more useful permission controls for years (location access was install time and you could not opt out of that specific permission unless you chose not to install the app at all).

Priorities matter.

P.S. I do see Apple business model changing to services bringing in some bad behavior associated with that: for instance, push notifications now are used as a spam/marketing mechanism for Apple services similar to Android; iCloud Storage nag is another example.

Re: Apple requires account deletion within apps in AppStore starting January 31

#44

Post by jmull »

staunch wrote: post #9

The problem is that Apple has absolutely no way to enforce the deletion. An app can say "your account is deleted" but not actually delete any data off their servers. What would really give users the control they deserve is the ability to restrict what data can be sent off the device by an app in the first place. Apple should make it possible to deny internet access to an app entirely, and they should provide an API t…

> Permitting apps to collect private data and have unrestricted internet access

What apps are left if this is forbidden?

"private data" can mean pretty much any user input. "unrestricted internet access" means pretty much any internet access.

We're left with apps that either cannot accept user input or cannot access the internet at all.

Re: Apple requires account deletion within apps in AppStore starting January 31

#45

Post by arkh »

vineyardmike wrote: post #39
anarchogeek wrote: post #27

What about inmutable systems? My app (using scuttlebutt) creates an 'account' but it's located as crypto keys only within the app and apple keychain. So far the apple reviewers refused to believe that it works like. It's open source, they've got the code... but still.... Same is true for anything crypto. The account as it were exists on many devices, but it's not something you as the app creator can manage. I think a…

Can you just delete the key and local data? Is the requirement to push that deletion to all other SSB instances? Seems like a case where in 2021 this rule is good, but blocks the creation of new business/product/tools that don't confirm with the 2020 way of thinking... which is good for apple.

> Is the requirement to push that deletion to all other SSB instances?

Well if you follow the GDPR: yes. Article 17.2

> Where the controller has made the personal data public and is obliged pursuant to paragraph 1 to erase the personal data, the controller, taking account of available technology and the cost of implementation, shall take reasonable steps, including technical measures, to inform controllers which are processing the personal data that the data subject has requested the erasure by such controllers of any links to, or copy or replication of, those personal data.

Re: Apple requires account deletion within apps in AppStore starting January 31

#46

Post by TrueDuality »

anarchogeek wrote: post #27

What about inmutable systems? My app (using scuttlebutt) creates an 'account' but it's located as crypto keys only within the app and apple keychain. So far the apple reviewers refused to believe that it works like. It's open source, they've got the code... but still.... Same is true for anything crypto. The account as it were exists on many devices, but it's not something you as the app creator can manage. I think a…

Maybe a tombstone record in your immutable system? It is technically marking the account as deleted and the data is unrecoverable if the only encryption keys have been safely purged...

Re: Apple requires account deletion within apps in AppStore starting January 31

#48

Post by gmadsen »

SllX wrote: post #41
madars wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I heard you can change your address to California, which then gives the option to cancel online (due to state law). It is absolutely ridiculous that NYT will happily take your card info online, but require you to be on hold to speak with their "customer care" to cancel. Maybe it is time to use virtual CC's a la privacy.com.

I dunno. I cancelled the other day now that I no longer care about the pandemic data and it was basically just three minutes of politely stonewalling in a chat box saying “No Thanks, please cancel my subscription.” a couple of times. I live in California and would have tried cancelling online but actually couldn’t find the option. I can’t say it was difficult to cancel though once I picked a process and initiated it.…

I did the same a few years ago and it was relatively painless, however there are many people that do not like confrontation and "stonewalling" is not an easy task. NY Times understands this and preys on a specific segment of the population.

Re: Apple requires account deletion within apps in AppStore starting January 31

#49

Post by judge2020 »

winternett wrote: post #12

Apple... Now protecting people's privacy much faster than the government... 0-60 real quick. But on the other hand, I think they should also carefully disclose the info they collect at their OS level... Just another case of that old CYA.

It's definitely carefully (not prominently) disclosed, you just gotta go to this privacy page: https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/en-ww/
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