EFF marks Apple’s ‘remarkable improvement’ in protecting customer data from governments

[RedRound2]

The EFF notes that this is a significant improvement over the few years of reporting where Apple received just one star:

 

Apple earned credit in all 6 categories in this year’s Who Has Your Back report. Apple’s rating is particularly striking because it had lagged behind industry competitors in prior years, earning just one star in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Apple shows remarkable improvement in its commitments to transparency and privacy.

 

 

 

The EFF also provides explanations for why each company received a star for each category. Here are the details for Apple:

 

Of course, Apple’s focus on dramatically improving its data request policies comes in light ofallegations and disclosures regarding NSA surveillance and leaks from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. Just earlier this month, Apple published new information about how it handles government data requests. Apple has also begun notifying customers that have had data requested from government agencies.

 

 

If there is any question about the legitimacy or scope of the court order, we challenge it and have done so in the past year.Oppose mass surveillance. Apple is a member of the Reform Government Surveillance Coalition, which affirms that “governments should limit surveillance to specific, known users for lawful purposes, and should not undertake bulk data collection of Internet communications.”

 

Publish transparency report. Apple published its first transparency report in November 2013, indicating by country how many legal requests it had received, complied with, and how many accounts are affected. Apple includes information about FISA court orders under Section 215 in its transparency report.

 

Publish law enforcement guides. Apple publishes its law enforcement guidelines.

 

Fight for users privacy in courts. Apple is adding the following statement to its transparency report update, scheduled for May 2014.

Apple will notify its customers when their personal information is being sought in response to legal process except where providing notice is prohibited by the legal process itself, by a court order Apple receives (e.g., an order under 18 U.S.C. §2705( B)), or by applicable law or where Apple, in its sole discretion, believes that providing notice could create a risk of injury or death to an identifiable individual or group of individuals or in situations where the case relates to child endangerment.

 

Warrant for content. Apple requires a warrant before providing content to law enforcement. Specifically, in its November transparency report it stated: “As we have explained, any government agency demanding customer content from Apple must get a court order.”

 

Inform users about government data demands. Apple promises to tell users if the government seeks their data. According to its soon-to-be-published policy:

 

SOURCE: http://9to5mac.com/2014/05/15/eff-marks-apples-remarkable-improvement-in-protecting-customer-data-from-governments/

[minimalist]

Inb4 no matter what apple sucks.

[Paralectic]

Inb4 no matter what apple sucks.

That says enough about the average member of this forum.

[Nineshadow]

Inb4 no matter what apple sucks.

Apple just sells their stuff for way way WAAAY too much.At least outside of the US...

[ShadowCaptain]

That says enough about the average member of this forum.

 

Yup, its a stuck record

 

here comes the Apple bashing

 

I am too bored to argue anymore

[Guest]

Well they'd better fight with all dat apple money

[kuddlesworth9419]

That says enough about the average member of this forum.

What intelligent. 

[minimalist]

That says enough about the average member of this forum.

 

That they realize people blindly hate Apple no matter what?

[minimalist]

Apple just sells their stuff for way way WAAAY too much.At least outside of the US...

 

Pretty sure that's not exclusive to Apple.  

[Me1z]

Hmm, good guy Apple. For the most part anyway, they're at least trying. I'd still never buy any of their products, but I think they deserve a cookie for the effort.

[Nineshadow]

Pretty sure that's not exclusive to Apple.  

I'm pretty sure Samsung doesn't sell S5-s for even $1500...

[minimalist]

I'm pretty sure Samsung doesn't sell S5-s for even $1500...

 

I'm pretty sure there are thousands of other companies that sell things for more money than they do in their own country.  It's funny that you think Apple is the only one and you get so upset about it.  

 

Also, on the topic of phones, there's only Samsung and Apple?