Advertisement

Apple says new OS will keep out prying eyes

 
Published Sept. 20, 2014

Apple wants to make clear that it wants nobody snooping around in your device, not even the police.

The company said last week that its latest software system, iOS 8, includes deep protection of the information stored on Apple mobile devices. So deep, in fact, that Apple says it has become technically impossible for it to comply with government warrants asking for customer information such as photos, emails, messages, contacts, call histories and notes to be extracted from devices.

The company said all of this information is under the protection of a customer's pass code, the four-digit number used to log into the device. In the past, Apple was able to extract certain types of information from devices, even when they were locked with a pass code, in response to a valid search warrant.

The new security in iOS 8 protects information stored on the device itself, but not data stored on Apple's cloud service. So Apple will still be able to hand over some customer information stored on iCloud in response to government requests.

Apple announced the revised privacy policy on its new privacy Web page, apple.com/privacy.

The new Web page includes explanations of what types of information Apple does and does not collect, and why. In addition, the Web page teaches consumers how to turn on important security features, such as two-step verification, to protect themselves from hackers.

Apple's ability to protect customer information was openly questioned after a number of celebrities discovered that hackers had broken into their Apple accounts, stolen nude or provocative photos, and posted those photos on the Internet.