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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

#71

Post by 8note »

jb1991 wrote: post #38
gumby wrote: post #2

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

This raises one notable benefit of going through Apple for all payments -- as a customer, it buffers me from dark billing patterns of any random company. Companies like 37signals don't like it and claim it hampered their relationship with customers, and that might be true in some cases, but overall it seems like a benefit for customers to have a consistency process of buying, refunding, cancelling everything they use…

I'm not sure I see that as a benefit so much a government doing a poor job on regulations for subscription services and online payments

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

#72

Post by 8note »

tshaddox wrote: post #62
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.

In California the New York Times still requires you to chat with a customer support person on their website. You still have to wait in queue, then wait for the person (or maybe it's a bot at this point) paste in several attempts at retaining your subscription. The law needs to be that you can cancel all recurring payments through a standard interface. It's ludicrous that my online banking account doesn't just show me…

I should be able to tell my credit card company that I'm ending a subscription, and have them be in charge of notifying the provider that the subscription has been terminated

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

#73

Post by cygned »

jaywalk wrote: post #53
arkh wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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…

If the personal data is encrypted and you destroy the only key that can be used to decrypt it, is it still personal data? Or is it now simply some random bytes?

We built a system that creates backups of PII using that mechanism; throw away the key after data is supposed to be deleted. That is legal under EU GDPR.

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

#75

Post by staunch »

joebob42 wrote: post #60
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…

If you want to delete your account, and your primary goal is to prevent future data going to the owner of the app from your device, why not just delete the app?

My goal would be to keep my data on my device and in my control. It's crazy that giving an app access to your Photos or Health data means it can just start randomly uploading to anywhere on the internet without asking you.

People in the future will be amazed we lived like this...

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

#76

Post by rapind »

judge2020 wrote: post #55
jeroenhd wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why using the blockchain got user data is such a stupid idea. The immutability makes it impossible to redact or remove information, even if that information is encrypted. The same is true foor P2P services where there is no central accounting system. Deleting the account shouldn't be a problem if all the "account" info is stored on the device itself, so if your reviewers aren't completely incompetent I don't…

> even if that information is encrypted. Assuming that information is only visible to the owner of the key anyways, then disposing of the key effectively renders that encrypted data as garbage. Not being able to delete it only enables some unknown future attack that can decrypt any data without the key.

But it doesn’t though right? If there’s a database breach 10 years from now and I’m able to crack pki with like a quantum computer or something then I have that data… I think.

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

#77

Post by slownews45 »

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.

Most of their policies are ones CONSUMERS have liked but BUSINESSES have hated.

The litigation / cases / govt intervention has been on behalf of businesses not consumers. A lot of folks in the "alliance for app fairness" have just horrible billing practices. Understandably, if they can get out of the app store, they can stop you from being able to do things like delete your account or unsubscribe with a few clicks.

A lot of the newspapers make it easy to sign up, but then you have to call to cancel, the same papers that go on and on about how terrible the app store is. There is a REASON people spend fortunes, particularly in the apple app store - it's damn safe to do so in most cases.

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

#78

Post by vorpalhex »

judge2020 wrote: post #55
jeroenhd wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why using the blockchain got user data is such a stupid idea. The immutability makes it impossible to redact or remove information, even if that information is encrypted. The same is true foor P2P services where there is no central accounting system. Deleting the account shouldn't be a problem if all the "account" info is stored on the device itself, so if your reviewers aren't completely incompetent I don't…

> even if that information is encrypted. Assuming that information is only visible to the owner of the key anyways, then disposing of the key effectively renders that encrypted data as garbage. Not being able to delete it only enables some unknown future attack that can decrypt any data without the key.

For now.

If the blockchain survives long enough, that info will become public in time.

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

#79

Post by PontiacParade »

tylerrobinson wrote: post #34
gumby wrote: post #2

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

I am not in California, and was able to unsubscribe recently using a simple UI and I did not have to chat with anyone.

I had the same experience. Very simple with only one retention step of offering a discount. Once declined I could cancel.

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

#80

Post by jon-wood »

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.

One of the first steps in setting up an iOS device is a great big screen telling you what data is collected and allowing opt-out. There’s several of them for each feature you’re setting up. There’s then another of those for each first party Apple app on the device. I’m really not sure how much clearer they could be.
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