Oh, the Places Your Apple ID Will Go • Hacker News Board

Re: Oh, the Places Your Apple ID Will Go

#161

Post by rswail » Wed, Nov 23, 2022, 5:53 AM UTC

The use of tracking is acceptable under the GDPR if it is necessary for providing the product/service. The Apple ID, being necessary for determining the applications you have bought/are installing would be considered necessary. Permission to have it is not required.

If the Apple ID is shared to another 3rd party by Apple, then it is not just being used for providing the product/service. So it would be required to get permission under GDPR.

Apple sells a service which is iPhone+iOS+App Store. While it is technically possible to separate, Apple doesn't. It's all required. So the Apple ID is required for doing that.

The fact that the Apple ID can be associated to an individual and their PII is something that theoretically could be isolated, but Apple are not required by law or regulation to do so as long as their use of the ID stays unshared and "necessary".

Re: Oh, the Places Your Apple ID Will Go

#162

Post by bsenftner » Wed, Nov 23, 2022, 2:01 PM UTC

dismalpedigree wrote: post #65

bsenftner wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Instead, all mega corps seem to blend together and follow the same playbook. It's sad. Yet another glaring indicator identifying our species as not mature enough to manage our own society. If this occurs everywhere, no matter what, then it is us, our constitution, our chemistry, our maturity as a species that is at fault.

This mental leap is a bridge to far for me to understand. Can you fill in the steps in your logic?

A hallmark of maturity is delayed gratification: one may want, but their maturity tells them they ought to prepare, or otherwise delay and suppress their gratification for a later period when that gratification is a) possible, b) achieved without subterfuge or deception, c) an appropriately and fairly earned reward or payment for effort expended towards this goal.

It is common and entirely ordinary to observe everyday people unable to delay their immediate need for gratification. It is also entirely ordinary and normal to observe friends, family and coworkers who routinely cut corners (take process shortcuts) and engage in process deceptions because they simply do not care about the consequences. Likewise it is entirely ordinary for one's employer to other their own employees to the degree they treat them with equal severity as one might find in the times of legal slavery (not exaggerating at all.) It is common and ordinary for spouses to other their own spouse, causing a legacy of failed marriages.

What is not ordinary is to meet persons that do not take short cuts, do not cheat on their employees, their spouses, or in reality: themselves. The majority that do not cheat are those not trusted and not provided the opportunities. The majority, if given too much trust, will rape their environment blind given time and the lack of repercussion: and that is immaturity at scale in our society, and it is the natural state of society. Trust is for fools.

Re: Oh, the Places Your Apple ID Will Go

#163

Post by rahoulb » Wed, Nov 23, 2022, 8:49 PM UTC

mtts wrote: post #43

rahoulb wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I read somewhere (sorry can't remember where but it was quite recent) that Apple has defined "tracking" as "allowing third parties to monitor you over multiple sites and apps". My that definition, Apple, as a first party, is not tracking you (and likewise, I can monitor you over my apps but not allow anyone else access to that data) UPDATE: It was from AppStore Connect itself, when you fill out the privacy data form.…

This definition is not necessarily wrong. It’s easier for them to argue that they need telemetry to provide (and improve) their own services than it is to argue some third party advertising behemoth needs it. The former is perfectly acceptable, also according to the GDPR (first party advertising is also A-Ok according to he GDPR, btw).

Technically it's fine, but it sits badly with me.

Ultimately their business model - we don't need to log/track/whatever your behaviour to show you advertising because we make our money off hardware - was a big differentiator for them compared to all the other tech companies. If they remove that, then they're removing one of the main reasons I stay with them.

And that's really the point - at some time soon they will stop being the "iPhone company" and they'll become "just another company" and this is just them preparing for that day.

Re: Oh, the Places Your Apple ID Will Go

#164

Post by withinboredom » Thu, Dec 01, 2022, 8:03 AM UTC

glitchc wrote: post #157

withinboredom wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure what point you're making. Knowing an IP address is useless information, until you have a database linking IP addresses to geolocation. Knowing my address is useless information, until you have a map. Knowing my name is useless, until you have Google. Knowing my user id is useless, until you have a leaked database (or other vulnerability). These are all PII, because they're useless until you have some oth…

There's a lot of confusion here. You need to read the GDPR carefully. The GDPR is the only source that explicitly mentions IP, and even they distinguish IP as "personal data", not "personally identifiable data." No other privacy legislation on the planet considers IP to represent any kind of PII. I will reiterate my point. It is impossible to operate the internet or any other network where a server must distinguish b…

I am literally face palming so hard right now. I also wish I'd seen this reply earlier.

The GDPR never mentions "personally identifiable data" as that is a US term. In the GDPR, it only says "personal data" which is the exact same thing according to the GDPR.