Apple recently updated iTunes, and some of the language contained in the new policy, revolving around a trust score generated by the data on your iPhone or iPad, sent part of the internet into a sensationalized first ask questions later mode, you know, like normal, we mean we get it, when you come across the great unknown, you can either turn around run away and start screaming, or you can tough up and start investigating.
Here in HufNews we tried to investigate, so let’s find out what’s going on.
<< Apple has been updating its privacy policies for a while now, ever since Tim Cook called privacy a human right, They’ve been updating it to be stricter but also more transparent >> Tim Cook.
Apple’s also one of the biggest content providers on the internet with billions of dollars in transactions passing through iTunes and the App Store, on a regular basis,
<< We had a stellar quarter and services, which generated all-time record revenue of 9.5 billion >> Tim Cook (2019, Q3).
What Apple’s doing with the trust score is trying to protect those transactions, while also respecting our privacy in other words adding greater defensive depth to the security procedures. It uses when it processes our payments and protect itself from fraudulent transactions but, without exposing the underlying data while doing it. Now we sense you have questions so let’s get to them:
1 – What’s all the fuss about ??
Apple just recently updated its iTunes Store a privacy page, to include the following language :
< to help identify and prevent fraud information about how you use your device including the approximate number of phone calls or emails you send and receive will be used to compute a device trust score when you attempt a purchase the submissions are designed so that Apple cannot learn the real values on your device the scores are stored for a fixed time on our servers>> iTunes store & Privacy
Some publications saw the new language or saw other publications that saw the new language decided not to really read it or look into it, and just raced to get it up as fast as possible without anything in the way of context or clarity and getting Apple into a headline, that’s even the slightest bit controversial or scary pretty, much guarantees instant virality. Money in the internet bank!.
2 – Why is Apple adding new protections to iTunes store? security is already annoying!
We hear you ! but people get frauded on the internet all the time! then apples trying to make sure iTunes, and iTunes users including iTunes music, movies, and TV shows, app store, apps and games, Apple music, and Apple books are better protected against that fraud, because it’s a cat-and-mouse game with the types of frauds and countermeasures constantly changing and evolving. Apple is always trying new ways to protect iTunes transactions it’s an incredibly difficult and complicated task so sometimes bad charges still get through and sometimes good charges get flagged incorrectly with iOS 13. Apple has added a new type of protection called a numeric device trust score.
3 – What’s a numeric device trust score?
It’s a score that’s computed using strong privacy protections on your iPhone, iPad and other devices and used to help make sure the only one making purchases on your iTunes account is you, so this is done on device.
4 – Apple isn’t sucking up all your data?
The numeric device trust score is computed on your device and all the data used to compute it remains on your device and is never sent to Apple or anyone else and is never computed on the cloud once a numeric device score is computed it’s encrypted sent to Apple and retained by Apple for a limited period of time.
5 – Apple doesn’t get the data, only the resulting trust score?
Correct Apple only gets the number not any of the email or call or any of the other sampling data your device used to generate it.
6 – Can’t Apple or someone just reverse-engineer the number and pop out all the original data anyway?
It’s a single number amid a large pool of accounts, and there’s no way to work back the math and extract any of the original components does.
7 – Apple do anything with the Trust score besides fraud detection ?
The answer is no, fraud detection is the only reason the trust score exists and the only thing it’s used for.
8 – how does the trust score work exactly??
If someone else tries to use your account or payment method and their trust score doesn’t match yours it escalates anti fraud detection procedures, the hope is it’s just one more layer of protection that keeps bad actors out while still letting you in.
9 – Why all the fuss again?!
Apple has made privacy a top-down first-class priority for the entire company, as part of that, it’s rolling out a lot more document and disclosure. Many companies keep their anti-fraud protections proprietary and so you never see them or have any reason to even think about them. Apple is making these measures public and since anything Apple does attracts a huge amount of attention, so have these measures. But because Apple has the stance on privacy and is going through all of these disclosures it’s also making damn sure everything including the anti-fraud protections are done in a way that respect and preserve that privacy.
Apple uses some pretty cool technology to generate and protect the Trust score; algorithms encryption, maybe even some machine learning along the way to detect fraud patterns and adjust the threshold.
Are you inspired to learn about all that cool tech but have no idea where to start hearing terms like algorithms and neural networks can be daunting at first but you don’t have to worry! a great place to start learning the logic and theory behind all of this is: HufNews’s AI and Dara departement, we will publish a bunch of courses teaching you all the fundamentals of computer science for anyone and everyone who’s new to the field, each course is interactive and breaks up complicated concepts into bite-sized chunks to make sure you actually absorb the information. It’s a strategy that frankly we wish was used in university because maybe we’d still be there!.
Now before anyone starts raging into the comments, hands off those keyboards, just for a second let us be clear, this article isn’t about protecting Apple, not at all, they’re the world’s biggest company they don’t need protection from anyone not on blogs not on HufNews, not anywhere, this is about protecting you, me, our friends and our families from fraud and fear uncertainty, and doubt that the internet uses to get page and video views at our expense.
Technology is already scary enough for some people trusting their money and their data to an invisible web they can’t see, nobody should be made to feel scared or afraid of accessible and abling services and software that can help them live better lives, or in this case be entertained or served by music, movies, TV shows, and apps.
We deserve better, everybody does, at least that’s what we believe at HufNews.
Let us know what you think, do you trust the trust score, and apple’s privacy policy? or do you still have questions, and if so, what questions? hit like hit subscribe to recieve our newsletter, and then hit the comments below.
Thank you.
M.Ben For HufNews – Apple And Android Departement.
