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Apple should really communicate more clearly what they mean in these privacy reports, because I don’t think it’s insane to interpret “The following data may be

Apple should really communicate more clearly what they mean in these privacy reports, because I don’t think it’s insane to interpret “The following data may be collected and linked to you: … Health & Fitness” in this way. An incorrect interpretation, sure, but not one you have to be dumb to make.

dylan604 3y ago
Until someone provides explanation for exactly what that does mean, how is anyone to know that it is an "incorrect" interpretation?
- darren_ 3y ago
  Here's exactly what it means: Someone at Facebook, when creating the listing for the Threads app on the appstore, told Apple that the app might possibly collect Health data (etc). These labels are entirely based on self reporting by the person doing the upload. That's it, that's the entirety of what these privacy label things mean: the company making the app has made these claims about what it collects. In this case Facebook appear to have simply ticked every possible box for data collection regardless of whether the app actually does it or not. Note you can't just get health data on iOS without asking, so people would notice if they tried. My guess is that actually figuring out what they do/don't collect was too hard, so they just said yes to everything.
JimDabell 3y ago
> Apple should really communicate more clearly what they mean in these privacy reports This information is provided by the app developer; in this case Meta are telling Apple they use your health data and Apple is merely showing that information in the App Store.
- blairbeckwith 3y ago
  Yes; my point is that 1% of the people who see this while browsing the App Store understand enough about the HealthKit data access requirements to interpret the language that Apple chooses correctly. And Apple does choose the language here, it’s selected by Meta from a list of Apple-created options.
  - JimDabell 3y ago
    > my point is that 1% of the people who see this while browsing the App Store understand enough about the HealthKit data access requirements to interpret the language that Apple chooses correctly. How so? There is no hidden meaning here; Facebook are simply telling Apple that they will access your health information, and Apple is passing that information along. There’s no misinterpretation. The fact that the app doesn’t currently request this information is immaterial – Facebook are saying they will. The straightforward interpretation of the privacy card is the correct one.
epistasis 3y ago
Why is Apple at fault for what an ad-ridden article claims without evidence? Seriously I could barely even find the claim you speak of, when every other sentence is punctuated by a half-screen advertisement. Why accept the claims of such obvious click-bait without evidence? There's no reason to believe anything said in the article, particularly when it's claims can easily be checked and shown to be false.
- jjaken 3y ago
  It’s not from the article. It’s clearly stated on the app store page for Threads: https://imgur.com/a/Lk8Olb6 https://imgur.com/a/Lk8Olb6
  - epistasis 3y ago
    And yet again, this is not data that is coming from your phone's store of health data. This is data that is linked to you, and the spamminess of the ads on qz.com is likely doing far more invasion of people's privacy than Threads could even dream of. This comment thread was about Threads taking health data "from your phone," Which is does not do, and which that sceeenshot does not say it does. This sort of data linking is absolutely pervasive in the web advertising industry, and it is bad. But let's not falsely say it's coming from the store of data on your phone, it's coming from advertising networks like those that pay for qz.com's hosting bills and profits.
    - jjaken 3y ago
      I think the ambiguous display of these things on the store, when few other apps show this, is cause for questions and concern. Everything you just said is equally speculative.

dylan604 3y ago

Until someone provides explanation for exactly what that does mean, how is anyone to know that it is an "incorrect" interpretation?

darren_ 3y ago
Here's exactly what it means: Someone at Facebook, when creating the listing for the Threads app on the appstore, told Apple that the app might possibly collect Health data (etc). These labels are entirely based on self reporting by the person doing the upload. That's it, that's the entirety of what these privacy label things mean: the company making the app has made these claims about what it collects. In this case Facebook appear to have simply ticked every possible box for data collection regardless of whether the app actually does it or not. Note you can't just get health data on iOS without asking, so people would notice if they tried. My guess is that actually figuring out what they do/don't collect was too hard, so they just said yes to everything.

JimDabell 3y ago

> Apple should really communicate more clearly what they mean in these privacy reports This information is provided by the app developer; in this case Meta are telling Apple they use your health data and Apple is merely showing that information in the App Store.

blairbeckwith 3y ago
Yes; my point is that 1% of the people who see this while browsing the App Store understand enough about the HealthKit data access requirements to interpret the language that Apple chooses correctly. And Apple does choose the language here, it’s selected by Meta from a list of Apple-created options.
- JimDabell 3y ago
  > my point is that 1% of the people who see this while browsing the App Store understand enough about the HealthKit data access requirements to interpret the language that Apple chooses correctly. How so? There is no hidden meaning here; Facebook are simply telling Apple that they will access your health information, and Apple is passing that information along. There’s no misinterpretation. The fact that the app doesn’t currently request this information is immaterial – Facebook are saying they will. The straightforward interpretation of the privacy card is the correct one.

epistasis 3y ago

Why is Apple at fault for what an ad-ridden article claims without evidence? Seriously I could barely even find the claim you speak of, when every other sentence is punctuated by a half-screen advertisement. Why accept the claims of such obvious click-bait without evidence? There's no reason to believe anything said in the article, particularly when it's claims can easily be checked and shown to be false.

jjaken 3y ago
It’s not from the article. It’s clearly stated on the app store page for Threads: https://imgur.com/a/Lk8Olb6 https://imgur.com/a/Lk8Olb6
- epistasis 3y ago
  And yet again, this is not data that is coming from your phone's store of health data. This is data that is linked to you, and the spamminess of the ads on qz.com is likely doing far more invasion of people's privacy than Threads could even dream of. This comment thread was about Threads taking health data "from your phone," Which is does not do, and which that sceeenshot does not say it does. This sort of data linking is absolutely pervasive in the web advertising industry, and it is bad. But let's not falsely say it's coming from the store of data on your phone, it's coming from advertising networks like those that pay for qz.com's hosting bills and profits.
  - jjaken 3y ago
    I think the ambiguous display of these things on the store, when few other apps show this, is cause for questions and concern. Everything you just said is equally speculative.