L’application Journal d’Appleappeared in iOS 17.2. It allows you to keep a diary about your daily life, and for this it offersvarious advanced features. One of them caused panic among many Internet users, who believed that Apple had made their private information public. A videographer posing as a cybersecurity specialist on TikTok spread a false rumor and falsely accused Apple. She accuses the firm of exposing the private information of iPhone users without their consent.
Suggestions
Journal in iOS offers recommendations for what you can write in your journal, based on what it knows about you. This concerns the music listened to, the last calls and messages, the places visited, but also the photos that you have recently captured.
Don't panic however, this data is processed locally on your device and is your absolute property.Apple has no control over it, much less third-party services. You should also know that these suggestions are not activated by default. Apple asks you the first time you use Journal if you want to enable it.
The problem
However, there is a misunderstanding regarding another functionality of the Journal application. This concerns an option called “Discoverable by other people". The latter is located inSettings > Privacy & Security > Log Suggestions. Visiting this page, users were surprised to see that the option is enabled by default, especially after reading the feature details. It is specified that it allowsto help users close to us prioritize their suggestions.
Joanna Sterne of the Wall Street Journal, for example, asked:
Why is this enabled by default but the suggestions setting is disabled by default? Does iPhone automatically remind my nearby contacts that I'm there? Are they encouraged to keep a journal about what we do together?
She is not the only one to have asked the question. The videographer cybersecuritygirl, who has 423,000 subscribers on TikTok, made avideoabout this. She recalls that she is “cybersecurity expert”, and that she did her research. Which therefore implies that she knows what she is talking about. She states:
Apple's Journal app, introduced with iOS 17.2, prioritizes user privacy while providing innovative journaling features. However, this app actively tracks your location to make it easier for you to document your day and it also potentially gives people around you the ability to know your name and locations.
Apple denies and clarifies the situation
In order to have answers to her questions, journalist Joanna Sterne directly contacted the Apple firm.An Apple spokespersonclarified the situation andformally deniesthese accusations.The native iPhone Journal app does not disclose your location and identity to other users.
If the feature is activated, the iPhone can indeed use Bluetooth to detect if one of your contacts is nearby, but it does not remember their identity. This is just a guideline that helps Journal make better suggestions.Yes, the app knows you were with one or more of your contacts, but it doesn't know who they are.
For example, if you are having a party at home with friends, your iPhone will say: “Hold ! There were people there this evening; it was probably important". It will then offer you suggestions related to this later, so don't panic: Apple does not share your personal information; your phone is just smarter forhelp you remember the good times.
For those who would like further reassurance, Apple has publishedan articleon the subject in early March. Otherwise, to learn how to best use the Journal app, you can check out ourdedicated article.
i-nfo.fr - Official iPhon.fr app
By : Keleops AG
