Apple enforces user data security with new updates

Apple Enforces User Data Security with New Updates

Apple has “you control your data" for a while now, but with these new updates, the data is almost completely the consumers’.

  • By Kaitlyn DeHaven
  • Jun 06, 2019

Apple announced eight security updates involving the Apple Watch, Apple maps and location, voice control, and more that will significantly increase the average Apple user’s security. The opening keynote speaker at Monday’s Worldwide Developer Conference showed how these new features will directly influence Apple users, giving them security that Apple competitors like Google and Facebook can't offer.

In addition to the new watchOS health features for the Apple Watch, Apple emphasized that all data the watch collects will stay on the device or in the user’s control. Beside the watch, the data can either be stored on the user’s iPhone or in iCloud, which ensures that the user controls their own privacy.

The second update involved location, as in iOS 13 users will be able to share their location with an app “just once” instead of “only while using the app,” “always," or "never." If an app keeps tracking the user’s location without their knowledge, iOS will notify them. Moreover, apps won’t be able to use Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to guess the user’s location as they have been able to previously.

The sign-in process will look a bit different with iOS13 as well. Now, users will be able to sign into apps without sharing any of their personal information. If the user wishes, they can even hide their email address from the app. If the app needs to send an email to the user, Apple will generate a random address for each app, and that address will forward to the user’s email. If the user is finished receiving emails from the app, they can easily disable the email address for that app.

The five last security updates involve the Mac, HomeKit security, and Find My. After HomeKit security acquires video footage, it will encrypt it before sending it to iCloud. This ensures that Apple or anyone else can’t view the footage. Find My iPhone and Find My Friends will be consolidated into one app, called Find My. Within this app, a user now can find devices even if they are offline. Voice Control, the Activation Lock, and macOS security will all be available on Macs soon as well. Voice processing will not be sent to the cloud, activation lock will allow you to protect your data by locking down your computer after it has been stolen, and macOS security requires Mac apps to gain permission to access files on your computer. Furthermore, the user will be notified before any app monitors keyboard activity or captures a photo or video on their screen.

About the Author

Kaitlyn DeHaven is the Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • Security Today Announces 2025 CyberSecured Award Winners

    Security Today is pleased to announce the 2025 CyberSecured Awards winners. Sixteen companies are being recognized this year for their network products and other cybersecurity initiatives that secure our world today. Read Now

  • Empowering and Securing a Mobile Workforce

    What happens when technology lets you work anywhere – but exposes you to security threats everywhere? This is the reality of modern work. No longer tethered to desks, work happens everywhere – in the office, from home, on the road, and in countless locations in between. Read Now

  • TSA Introduces New $45 Fee Option for Travelers Without REAL ID Starting February 1

    The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced today that it will refer all passengers who do not present an acceptable form of ID and still want to fly an option to pay a $45 fee to use a modernized alternative identity verification system, TSA Confirm.ID, to establish identity at security checkpoints beginning on February 1, 2026. Read Now

  • The Evolution of IP Camera Intelligence

    As the 30th anniversary of the IP camera approaches in 2026, it is worth reflecting on how far we have come. The first network camera, launched in 1996, delivered one frame every 17 seconds—not impressive by today’s standards, but groundbreaking at the time. It did something that no analog system could: transmit video over a standard IP network. Read Now

  • From Surveillance to Intelligence

    Years ago, it would have been significantly more expensive to run an analytic like that — requiring a custom-built solution with burdensome infrastructure demands — but modern edge devices have made it accessible to everyone. It also saves time, which is a critical factor if a missing child is involved. Video compression technology has played a critical role as well. Over the years, significant advancements have been made in video coding standards — including H.263, MPEG formats, and H.264—alongside compression optimization technologies developed by IP video manufacturers to improve efficiency without sacrificing quality. The open-source AV1 codec developed by the Alliance for Open Media—a consortium including Google, Netflix, Microsoft, Amazon and others — is already the preferred decoder for cloud-based applications, and is quickly becoming the standard for video compression of all types. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.

  • Unified VMS

    AxxonSoft introduces version 2.0 of the Axxon One VMS. The new release features integrations with various physical security systems, making Axxon One a unified VMS. Other enhancements include new AI video analytics and intelligent search functions, hardened cybersecurity, usability and performance improvements, and expanded cloud capabilities

  • AC Nio

    AC Nio

    Aiphone, a leading international manufacturer of intercom, access control, and emergency communication products, has introduced the AC Nio, its access control management software, an important addition to its new line of access control solutions.