A pair of security researchers claim to have found evidence that Apple is collecting data that enables the company to track users through their Apple ID. The researchers from Germany and Canada, who are posting the information on a Twitter account, say Apple’s analytics are collecting a piece for data called dsId, or Directory Services Identifier, that uniquely identified iCloud accounts.
Whether Apple is actually collecting and using this data is an open question but you can’t stop it from being connected even if you choose to not allow Apple to collect your iPhone analytics data – which is one of the things you get to choose when first setting up your iPhone.
The collection of user data for advertising has a long history but people are now becoming increasingly concerned about how much personal data is being collected, how it’s used and who can access it. Although Apple has a quite solid reputation when it comes to respected its customers privacy, that doesn’t make it immune to accusations of unauthorised data collection and potential misuse.
In Australia, where a number of recent very high profile attacks have affected close to half the population, data collection and storage is a very sensitive topic. So this is something that many people should be concerned about. With Apple making a slow foray into advertising (following the failure of its iAds program several years ago), the company will need to be careful as accusations of data collection without the informed consent of users could tarnish the company’s reputation.
Anthony is the founder of Australian Apple News. He is a long-time Apple user and former editor of Australian Macworld. He has contributed to many technology magazines and newspapers as well as appearing regularly on radio and occasionally on TV.