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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

#141

Post by EastOfTruth »

jeroenhd wrote: post #40
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…

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…

> This is why using the blockchain got user data is such a stupid idea.

maybe for you, but there are use cases...

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

#143

Post by wbobeirne »

murgindrag wrote: post #131

As much as I like the change, the 3-month window seems unreasonable. I don't currently have AppStore apps, and these kinds of whiplash changes are part of the reason. Microsoft, for all its faults, is much better than Apple or Google here. Businesses take planning and strategy, and these things lead to drop-everything fires. Economies rely on stability.

To be fair, it's closer to 4 months, and it would appear that they won't yank you immediately. It's only for new submissions:

> This requirement applies to all app submissions starting January 31, 2022.

Unsure if this means new apps, or includes updates to existing apps. But I bet there'll be a bit more of a grace period if you don't have a new update to push.

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

#144

Post by bpodgursky »

datavirtue wrote: post #123
nightski wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hate to break it to you but banks are not deleting your account immediately when you close it. They legally can't.

It's simple. Don't offer account deletion. You comply with both in that case.

> all apps that allow for account creation must also allow users to initiate deletion of their account from within the app

No, that doesn't seem true.

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

#145

Post by dwaite »

hawski wrote: post #133
Despegar wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

How does the app store searching and filtering work now? I had last contact with Apple devices around iPhone 4S. What I remember from that time (maybe wrongly) is that the experience was practically limited to a name search (as on Android). You can't filter for example for open source apps. I know that the example is not useful at its face value even if power users could show their less technical peers "this one simp…

> You can't filter for example for open source apps.

There isn't metadata for this, as it is not part of Apple's relationship.

They are a seller of software, and the creator of the software is responsible for making sure the software can be compatible with the licensing and copyright terms of both Apple and any dependencies.

A semantic link to grab the source code for an app would be neat, but a pretty niche feature. That Apple can't verify that it is the same code (or that the separately hosted build process doesn't have malicious logic within it) probably quickly pushed them over the edge in terms of not supporting such a feature.

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

#147

Post by dwaite »

MrStonedOne wrote: post #117
simonklitj wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You’re talking about something else. Do we expect money-making companies to be the ones to war against authoritarian regimes? Do we not also expect companies to obey the laws of the lands in which they conduct business? You can’t just say screw it to GDPR and expect to continue to be able to conduct business in the EU.

Apple didn't have to lock users out of installing "unapproved" apps on their own. That isn't for the user's benefit and isn't necessary for apple to have a curated app store.

What would the alternative be - the method of installation is the App Store, and Apple's compliance was removing the public and private presence from the App Store within that country.

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

#148

Post by jacobr1 »

rapind wrote: post #76
judge2020 wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

You don't need the breach, the DB is already public (in encrypted form).

So yeah, all you need is either a currently unknown mathematic weakness in the encryption scheme, or bug in implementation, or as you suggest some future quantum or other technical advance that defeats the encryption.

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

#149

Post by jedahan »

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…

Defining account will be interesting. One definition might be:

The 'account' consists of the credentials required to add or modify data associated with a human.

In that case, the person deleting their private key would suffice for deleting an account.

There are plenty of things this doesn't cover, or even backfires. Just interested in what other perspectives people may have.

---

Scuttlebutt actually could allow for 'deletion' in the sense that a 'compliant' scuttlebutt client could choose to interpret a 'delete this account' message as a filter for any messages that match said public key. Many client's UX understand that the state of messages may be incomplete due to the P2P nature, so thats kinda nice too.

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

#150

Post by envy2 »

nathanyz wrote: post #138

Is this now perhaps the easiest way to remove your Facebook account? Future guides will be like: 1) Buy an Apple device 2) Download and sign in to Facebook app 3) Click delete account button

Deleting a FB account is already trivial.

Instructions here (essentially, press "Permanently Delete Account" in settings and put in your password to confirm): https://www.facebook.com/help/224562897555674

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