Keeping your data private if you own an iPhone, MacBook or iPad can be incredibly confusing, according to a new academic study looking at Apple’s built-in apps like FaceTime, Safari, Siri and Touch ID.
A new study from Aalto University in Finland looked at how built-in apps on Apple devices actually work, even when they’re not in use and idle in the background.
People are increasingly paying attention to the ways websites and apps collect and handle their data – just look at Temu’s recent reaction after a ‘free money giveaway’.
Academic researchers at a Finnish university investigated the privacy settings of Apple’s default apps. We’re talking about apps that you can’t get rid of unless you’re really technically gifted.
These are applications that you can find in most Apple products, primarily on the iPhone, Mac and iPad.
Eight applications were specifically studied: Safari, Siri, Family Sharing, iMessage, FaceTime, Location Services, Find My and Touch ID.
iPhone comes with Apple apps (Getty Stock Images)
Associate Professor Janne Lindqvist, head of the computer science department at Aalto, said it is ‘almost impossible’ to get rid of these applications.
This, combined with the collection of data in the background of your device, gave Lindqvist cause for concern.
Associate Professor Lindqvist said: “We focused on applications that are an integral part of the platform and ecosystem. These applications are glued to the platform and almost impossible to get rid of.
“Because of the way the user interface is designed, users don’t know what’s going on. For example, the user is given the option to enable or disable Siri, Apple’s virtual assistant.
MacBooks come with many of the same apps as iPhones (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
“But enabling only applies if you use Siri voice control.
“Siri collects data in the background from other apps you use, regardless of your choices, unless you understand how to go into the settings and specifically change it.”
The study asked participants to try to change their settings to protect their privacy, and none of them succeeded.
Amel Bourdoucen, a PhD researcher at Aalto, said: “It turned out that the participants could not prevent any app from sharing their data with other apps or the service provider.”
Academic researchers are concerned about what they discovered (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The researcher added: “Network instructions for restricting data access are very complex and confusing, and the necessary steps are scattered in different places. There is no clear direction whether to go to the application settings, the central settings – or even both.”
Lindqvist claims that it is possible that the data collected by the apps will be used to train the artificial intelligence system behind Siri and to provide personalized user experiences.
LADbible has contacted Apple for comment.
Featured image credit: Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images/Getty Stock Images
Topics: iPhone, Apple, technology, hacks, world news