Germany Concerned Over Apple’s Privacy Policies
Germany’s justice minister was quoted as saying by Der Spiegel magazine on Saturday that Apple Inc. must "immediately make clear" what data it collects from users of its products and for what purposes.
"Users of iPhones and other GPS devices must be aware of what kind of information about them is being collected," Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger told the German weekly.
According to Der Spiegel, the minister’s criticism was aimed at Apple’s recent changes to its privacy policy where the company can collect data on the geographical location of its users.
Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger told Reuters that she expected Apple to "open its databases to German data protection authorities" and clarify what data it was collecting and how long it was saving the data.
Germany has some of the toughest privacy laws in the world as a result of its experience with state surveillance systems once put in place by the Nazis party.
The German consumer protection minister made headlines earlier this month after saying she would quit Facebook over privacy law violations.
Meanwhile, Google Inc. acknowledged in May that it had been mistakenly collecting personal data sent by consumers over wireless networks for the past few years.
The justice minister said it would be "unthinkable" for Apple to create personality, or location-based, profiles for users.
"Apple has the obligation to properly implement the transparency so often promised by (CEO) Steve Jobs," she told Reuters.
—
On the Net: