Apple says the Apple Watch Series 12 “measures heart rate every five seconds, all day long”, with 60x more frequent background heart rate readings and 24x more frequent HRV readings than Series 11. What Apple publishes about the handling of all that data runs to two sentences: health and fitness data in the Health app,…
privacy
iOS 27 Password Alerts Are Not Ready on Monday: Every Privacy Feature Apple Left Undated
One of the security additions Apple lists for iOS 27 is not in Monday’s release. Apple’s own page says the Passwords app “Alerts you to weak or compromised passwords and can update them”, then labels it “Coming in a future software update”, with no date attached. iOS 27 arrives Monday, September 14, without every feature…
Audio Intelligence Is Not Described as All On-Device: Apple's Definition Names Cloud Models Too
Apple’s own one-sentence definition of Audio Intelligence names cloud models alongside on-device ones. Support document 148354 calls it a brand-new class of Apple Intelligence features that use the microphones of Apple Watch, the power of Apple silicon, and on-device and cloud-based AI models to help you detect sounds, identify music, and stay present and engaged,…
Apple Says Apple Watch Live Rewind Can’t Be Used Secretly
Apple says Live Rewind needs a deliberate double press, plays a chime, shows a microphone indicator, and removes its text snippet soon after.
Siri Recap Privacy Explained: What Apple Does With Your Conversations
Apple says Siri Recap creates high-level summaries without storing raw audio, and saved recaps use end-to-end encrypted iCloud syncing.
Apple Intelligence Data Handling: Eight Questions Apple's Own Pages Do Not Answer
Apple has published more about Apple Intelligence data handling in footnotes than in documentation. Eight questions a buyer could reasonably ask on the week iOS 27 ships have no answer anywhere on Apple’s pages, and that absence is the clearest thing anyone can report today. iOS 27 ships Monday, September 14, with Apple Intelligence enabled…
Siri AI and Personal Context: What Apple Says It Can See on Your iPhone
Apple’s published description of Siri AI names four kinds of access: content across your apps, what is on your screen, actions inside apps, and the open web. Nothing in Apple’s material describes a per-app switch for any of it. Write with Siri drafts and reviews text inside Mail and Messages. Image: Apple Siri AI rolls…
Apple's Secure Exclave: What Apple Says Happens to the Audio Your Apple Watch Hears
Apple says the audio behind the new listening features on Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 is handled inside a Secure Exclave, which it describes as a dedicated hardware-isolated compartment on the S11 chip, and that no audio recordings are stored. Live Rewind returns the last 15 seconds of a conversation as…
Private Cloud Compute: The Two Promises Apple Publishes About Your Data, and the Ones It Does Not
Apple publishes two sentences of substance about Private Cloud Compute, and both describe what does not happen to your data. Personal data “is not stored nor made accessible to Apple or anyone else,” and “outside experts can continue to verify this privacy promise at any time.” iOS 27 arrives Monday, September 14, and turns Apple…
Where Apple Intelligence Runs in iOS 27: On Device, in Private Cloud Compute, and Nowhere Else Apple Names
Apple names two places where Apple Intelligence work happens in iOS 27: on the device itself, and on Apple servers through Private Cloud Compute. Across the consumer pages Apple published for this launch, no user-facing feature is described as being handed to another company’s model. The A20 Pro and its dual 16-core Neural Engine handle…
How to Turn on Apple Mail Privacy Protection
In this guide, we’ll help you learn more about Apple Mail Privacy Protection and how to enable and use it on your iPhone, iPad and Mac.
How to Delete Your Private Data from Apple's Servers
In order to delete your private data from Apple’s servers you need to delete your Apple ID. Alternatively can also learn how to deactivate it.
"Big Tech" as Bad Guy and a Touching Rumor - TMO Daily Observations 2023-01-12
POTUS thinks he’s found a cause to unify the left and the right in Congress: Fighting big tech. TMO writer Nick deCourville joins Ken to discuss President Biden’s WSJ call to arms. Then – A rumor about a touchscreen Mac on the horizon. Nick and Ken discuss the merits.
Google Is On the Hook for $392 Million in Largest-Ever US Consumer Privacy Lawsuit
Google has agreed to settle the largest consumer privacy lawsuit in the U.S. It’s agreed to pay out $392 million and change its practices.
A Privacy Lawsuit for Apple and the First Mailbag Monday - TMO Daily Observations 2022-11-14
Security researchers say Apple was/is tracking a lot of App Store activity in iOS 14.6. In the time of iOS 16.1.1, this has led to a lawsuit. TMO Managing Editor Jeff Butts and Ken talk that over. Plus – Twitter and Emergency SOS via Satellite and Steve Jobs’ sandals make it into Mailbag Monday!
Developers Find Apple May Be Tracking User Data on App Store Through iOS
Reports indicate that Apple may be tracking what a users taps on and interacts with in the official App Store, sending the data to Cupertino.
New 'OG App' Provides Instagram Alternative Without the Meta Clutter
Two developers have created an alternative to Instagram known as the OG App, which aims to remove the clutter found on the official Meta app.
Chief Privacy Officer Jane Horvath to Leave Apple to Work at a Private Law Firm
Apple’s Chief Privacy Officer is about to leave the company to join a law firm that handled Apple’s legal tussle versus Epic Games.
State Privacy Legislation Getting Input from Tech Lobbyists to Push Weaker Protections
A report from “TNW” indicates that many state legislations concerning privacy are being written by tech lobbyists.
![[U] DuckDuckGo Working with Microsoft Concerning Browser Privacy](https://www.macobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/DuckDuckGoMessyPrivacyMay2022Featured.webp)
[U] DuckDuckGo Working with Microsoft Concerning Browser Privacy
A security expert recently revealed that DuckDuckGo’s browser allows for Microsoft trackers, despite the company’s hard stance on privacy.
Civil Liberties Group Warns of Global Privacy Breach, Google Largest Offender
A civil liberties group warns of a global privacy breach that auctions personal user data. Google is one of the largest offenders.
Apple Privacy Chief Jane Horvath to Chair Panel
Apple’s chief of global privacy, Jane Horvath, is scheduled to chair a panel at the annual Computers, Privacy & Data Protection Conference.
Facebook Unable To Account For Personal User Data: The Larger Problem Of Big Tech
Recent reports indicate that Facebook has little idea concerning how to handle personal user data. The report comes from a privacy engineer.
Apple's App Tracking Transparency Brings Losses to Other Tech Giants, Facebook Suffers the Most
A report by Lotame states that tech giants, especially Facebook, are set to lose revenue due to Apple’s App Tracking Transparency.