Apple is aggressive when it comes to user privacy and consumers, as well, as tech giants, laud the company for this. However, some US legislators believe that it could be the company's shield for anti-competitive behavior. The lawmakers are recently alarmed of the changes that Apple introduced in iOS 13.
According to a new report released by Washington Post, several legislators in the US believe that Apple is using its user privacy stance as a cover to get away with an anti-competitive practice that might benefit them but hurt competitors. Additionally, the report shares that the Democrat Rep. David Cicilline, chairman of the House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee is pushing for strong user privacy legislation in the US that would take the privacy regulation away from the hand of tech giants like Apple. The Democrat lawmaker is also very concerned about the recent iOS 13 update rolled out by the Cupertino company that modifies its location services.
With the latest iOS 13 update, Apple eliminated the always allow option in the iOS 13. This move alarmed legislators and made therm worrisome that Apple may have given itself access to the location data not given to third-party apps. The Washington Post also claims that sources with knowledge about the recent meeting claimed that Apple representatives and some US legislators met to discuss their growing concerns on the user privacy issue and iOS 13 update.
In the past, app makers could ask permission from users to track their location even if users are not using the app. This was very helpful, especially for users who would like to locate their cars or things and use devices to find them. However, with the latest iOS 13 update, app makers can no longer ask for the same permission upon the app installation because Apple removed it.
This is frustrating, especially to competitors and app makers. Tile, the maker of Bluetooth trackers that guide people in finding their items, is the most affected apps with this recent update. To make the matter worse, Apple still tracks the location of iPhone users at all times.
Additionally, users have no choice of opting out from this functionality unless they know how to dive into the complicated maze of Apple settings. Several app makers are not happy of the recent update that Apple rolled out. Some of them sent a letter to Apple to air out their concerns. Apple spokesperson Trudy Miller recently said that the Cupertino-based tech giant is working closely with app makers and developers concerned about the update brought by iOS 13 particularly with the new location services policy of Apple.
