December 8 marked the deadline by which all iOS 14 apps had to give the privacy information they collect to Apple. Location usage, background operation, everything had to be detailedin small “tags” on the application page of the App Store itself, in order to inform the user, clearly and simply. But WhatsApp has stepped up to the plate. Facebook's instant messaging service criticizes the fact that Apple requires more transparency from third-party applications, but does not apply this process with its own applications, pre-installed on the iPhone.
Along these lines, a WhatsApp spokesperson recently said: “We think it's important that people can compare these “privacy nutrition” labels on the apps they download with pre-installed apps, like iMessage. » A short sentence which reignited tensions between the Facebook group and the apple brand.
But criticism of the messaging service goes further. WhatsApp criticizes that Apple does not take enough into consideration the efforts made for applicationsin order to protect the personal data that is collected. Finally, the Facebook group regrets that its applications, and WhatsApp in the foreground, are classified with applications that collect location data or read messages, which WhatsApp denies doing.
Apple will play the game
For its part, the apple brand reacted to this announcement. Finally, it simply re-explained that the privacy information of its pre-installed apps will not be hidden. They will be available on the Apple website, not being available on the App Store. Concerning the criticisms made about the precision of its files, in particular on the efforts made by the developers to secure the data collected, Apple has not yet given its own response, and it will be necessary to see if an evolution of these “labels” will take place in the coming weeks or months.
Labels are therefore at the heart of this new quarrel between Apple and Facebook (via WhatsApp), yet they have still not been published on the App Store by Apple. A sign that they will bring a real change for applications that are a little too greedy with personal data? WhatsApp and Facebook seem to fear it in any case.
But for the moment neither camp has given information on a possible deployment date. If December 8 was the deadline for sending information to Apple, it would seem that not everyone met the deadlines and that the Cupertino company gave latecomers a few days' recourse.
