Apple Updates its App Store to Add Privacy Labels

Tech giant Apple updated its app store on Monday to add privacy labels which show what information apps collect about its users.

The labels are displayed directly underneath the option to download the app. Most apps will receive as many as three labels which is dependent on the information that app makers are required to submit to the company in order to update their apps.

The labels include:

Data used to track you: Developers can link user data collected from the app to information from outside the app, such as other apps or websites, often to serve targeted ads or measure how effective ads are.

Data linked to you: Developers collect information that is linked to your device, account, or identity.

Data not linked to you: Developers can collect data but say they will not link the information it collects to it to your account or device identifier.

No data collected: Apps that don’t collect any information about the user.

No information available: This label will be reserved for apps that have not been updated since the requirement went into place. But most popular apps currently under development are regularly updated, so the privacy labels will be on most of the apps on the store, Apple said.

Some app makers have been critical of the move as ad-supported apps may receive a “data used to track you” label. This may discourage users from downloading the app.

Every app submitted to the App Store will need to provide information to create these labels.

“Apple’s view is that users deserve to be more aware and in control of their location data,” said Apple’s senior vice president for software, Craig Federighi.

Apple wants the labels to give users the information they need to make choices about which apps they are comfortable using.

Disclaimer: We have no position in any of the companies mentioned and have not been compensated for this article.