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> While we do back up iMessage and SMS messages for your convenience using iCloud Backup, you can turn it off whenever you want. Wouldn't they be able to hold

by mtgx 9y ago

> While we do back up iMessage and SMS messages for your convenience using iCloud Backup, you can turn it off whenever you want. Wouldn't they be able to hold that privacy promise much better if they actually allowed people to keep iCloud backup on let's say for pictures, but still be able to disable iMessage messages? I think many people would like to use iCloud but without it backing up personal conversations, too. Also, iMessage's end-to-end encryption was rather flawed last Matthew Green checked, compared to other end-to-end messaging apps. https://blog.cryptographyengineering.com/2016/03/21/attack-of-week-apple-imessage/ https://blog.cryptographyengineering.com/2016/03/21/attack-o... As for their use of differential privacy, when they introduced that it was essentially a hidden way of gather more of your data than before, not less, but while still being able to say "hey, we may gather more data than ever on you starting with the new iOS, but it's pretty private, so it's cool, don't worry about it". All of that said, I know Apple is still miles ahead of Google on privacy. If anything, over the last 1-2 years, Google has become increasingly bolder and more shameless about tracking users without them realizing (except in the EU, where they are forced to make it a little easier for users to understand how they are being tracked, and even that happened because of the anti-trust lawsuit). Here's just one example of Google's increasingly privacy-hostile behavior: https://www.extremetech.com/internet/238093-google-quietly-changed-its-privacy-policy-no-longer-promises-to-anonymize-your-personal-information-when-selling-ads https://www.extremetech.com/internet/238093-google-quietly-c...

dangsdad 9y ago
tldr. Apple:securly sharing your most intimate secrets with the worlds 7.5billion people. Suppose its better than M$ or Google insecurely sharing them. But not as good as just not handing them out in the first place.
matt4077 9y ago
Differential privacy is obviously worse for privacy than absolute privacy. But the latter is simply to restrictive and would preclude Apple from applying the benefits of machine learning to their users' benefit. I think, for example, what Apple is doing in health has some awesome potential. Also animated shit emojis! But "differential privacy" has a specific meaning that isn't just "sharing less data". It's trying to find provable methods to get the aggregate data needed for ML without exposing any single user's data. Kinda like the big data version of having one random soldier with a blank in his rifle in any firing squad.
Accacin 9y ago
I agree it's not perfect. I kind of get around it by disabling iCloud backup (which includes iMessage, etc.). I just use iCloud to back up photos, and I back up my phone locally.

by mtgx 9y ago

dangsdad 9y ago

tldr. Apple:securly sharing your most intimate secrets with the worlds 7.5billion people. Suppose its better than M$ or Google insecurely sharing them. But not as good as just not handing them out in the first place.

matt4077 9y ago

Differential privacy is obviously worse for privacy than absolute privacy. But the latter is simply to restrictive and would preclude Apple from applying the benefits of machine learning to their users' benefit. I think, for example, what Apple is doing in health has some awesome potential. Also animated shit emojis! But "differential privacy" has a specific meaning that isn't just "sharing less data". It's trying to find provable methods to get the aggregate data needed for ML without exposing any single user's data. Kinda like the big data version of having one random soldier with a blank in his rifle in any firing squad.

Accacin 9y ago

I agree it's not perfect. I kind of get around it by disabling iCloud backup (which includes iMessage, etc.). I just use iCloud to back up photos, and I back up my phone locally.