Data Security

Just like Facebook and Google, Apple is selling users’ information to third parties

A new incident involving large technology companies and the privacy of their users has been reported. According to website security specialists, Apple faces a class-action lawsuit for the illegal and intentional disclosure of iTunes users’ information with third parties.

The plaintiffs claim that Apple has been
sharing iTunes
user data without their express consent; this information could include data
such as user name, age, location details, and history of musical preferences on
the platform. The lawsuit was filed by three U.S. citizens.

In the lawsuit it is claimed that Apple sells a
set of data belonging to a thousand people for about $130 USD.  “A company could request a list of
information from all single women, older than 70 years, with university studies
and minimum income of $80k USD per year that listen to country music on iTunes,
for example”, is mentioned in the lawsuit.

This practice could lead to unpleasant
consequences for iTunes users, such as too-invasive marketing campaigns, say website
security specialists. Moreover, third-party intervention could further
complicate the situation, as these third parties could re-sell the information
to other third party companies to generate more profits.

Claimants represent all iTunes users in the
states of Rhode Island and Michigan. In the first state, plaintiffs demand compensation
of $250 USD for each affected user, while in Michigan, claimants demand $5k USD
for each user’s damage compensation.

The lawsuit also mentions that the company
provided access to the music history of iTunes users through their developer
tools without the need for users to authorize access. Apple corrected this
error in its operating system iOS 10 until eight months later.

Apple, which has tried to present itself as a
company committed to the security and privacy of its users, does not yet make a
single statement regarding this incident, according to website security
specialists from the International Institute of Cyber Security (IICS).

In recent days, the company announced the
launch of a new tool that allows tracking an online ad without intruding on the
privacy of users.

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