Apple defends privacy policies to Reps. Markey, Barton

Even though the rule does not
cover iPad and iPhone data collection, Sewell’s letter said Apple is committed
to giving users control over their data. The products do so in a “simple and
elegant way,” he said.

Markey and Barton had written
Apple chief executive Steve Jobs in June to raise concerns about the
collection of users’ location information.

Their letter cited a Los Angeles
Times article that suggested “that Apple is collecting and sharing
data containing the precise geographic locations of consumers using iPads,
iPhones, and other Apple products.”

“Is Apple sharing consumer
location information collected through iPhones and iPads with AT&T and
other telecommunications carriers?” the congressmen asked in a list of nine
questions on location data.

In the response released on
Tuesday, Apple answered with a “no.” But that was the shortest of its answers
in the 13-page letter.

Barton was not entirely
satisfied by the long response — in part because of its length.

“While I applaud Apple for
responding to our questions, I remain concerned about privacy policies that run
on for pages and pages. I hope every business that uses information for
advertising and marketing purposes will work toward more transparency and
complete disclosure about their practices, as well as robust security for the
information they hold,” he said in a statement.

Markey seemed more satisfied
with the reply.

“Apple’s responses provided
additional information about how it uses location data and the ability of
consumers to exercise control over a variety of features on Apple’s products,
and I appreciate the company’s response,” he said in a statement, adding that “consumer
consent is the key to assessing” privacy policies. 

Apple’s letter said it “shares
location data with an application developer only after a user has given express
consent to the sharing.” 

It added that it “collects
location data for only one purpose — to enhance and improve the services we can
offer to our consumers.”

Apple’s letter also said it
updated its privacy policy in June to advise customers to review the privacy
practices of third-party application providers and to caution customers about
posting personal information on an Apple forum or chat room. It also revised
its data collection and cookie policies, while putting safeguards in place to
prevent the collection of personal information from children.

Markey and Barton are co-chairmen of the House Bipartisan
Privacy Caucus.