KOMPUTER JADUL-, Apple today announced its latest innovations in privacy and security, including major updates to Safari Private Browsing, Communications Security, and Lockdown Mode, as well as improvements to app privacy. Additionally, Apple is introducing new features designed with privacy and security in mind, including Checkout, NameDrop, and Direct Voicemail. These new efforts are a reflection of Apple’s strong belief that privacy is a human right and that good privacy is built on a foundation of strong security.
“Privacy is built into every new Apple product and feature from the ground up,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering. “We strive to keep users in control of their data by continuing to provide industry-leading privacy features and the world’s best data security. This approach is evident in features across our platform, such as major updates to Safari Private Browsing and the expansion of Lockdown Mode”.
Privacy Features Give Users More Control Over Their Data
Major Updates to Safari Private Browsing
Safari introduced private browsing years before other browsers. This year, significant updates further protect users from trackers as they browse the web, and from people who have access to their devices. Advanced tracking and fingerprinting protections also help prevent websites from using the latest technology to track or identify users’ devices. Private Browsing now locks when not in use, so users can leave tabs open when they walk away.
Improvements to Photos Privacy Permissions
A new embedded Photos selection lets users share specific photos with apps and keep the rest of their library private. When an app requests access to the entire photo library, users will see more information about what they’re sharing, along with occasional reminders about their choice.
Link Tracking Protection in Safari Messages, Mail, and Private Browsing
Some websites add additional information to their URLs to track users on other websites. This information will now be removed from links users share in Messages and Mail, and the links will continue to function as intended. This information will also be removed from links in Safari Private Browsing.
App Privacy Enhancements
New tools provide developers with more information about the data practices of third-party Software Development Kits (SDKs) they use in their apps, so they can provide more accurate Privacy Nutrition Labels. These changes also improve the integrity of the software supply chain by supporting signatures for third-party SDKs to add another layer of protection against misuse.
Features Designed to Help Protect User Safety
Communication Safety
Communication Safety, which was designed to warn children when receiving or sending photos in Messages that contain nudity, now extends to video content in addition to still images. New APIs allow developers to integrate Communication Safety into their apps. Additionally, the feature will now help keep children safe when they send and receive AirDrop and FaceTime video messages, and when using the Phone app to receive Contact Posters and the Photo picker to choose what to send. All image and video processing for Communication Safety takes place on-device, meaning neither Apple nor any third party can access that content. These warnings will be enabled for child accounts on their Family Sharing plan, and can be disabled by parents.
Sensitive Content Warning
Sensitive Content Warning helps adults avoid unwanted nudity and video when they receive them in Messages, AirDrop, FaceTime video messages, and the Phone app when receiving Contact Posters, which uses the same privacy-protecting technology that is at the heart of Communication Safety.
This feature is optional and can be enabled by users in Privacy & Security settings. As with Communication Safety, all image and video processing for Sensitive Content Warning happens on-device, meaning neither Apple nor any third party can access the content.
Robust Security Protection to Protect User Data
Password and Passkey Updates
To make sharing passwords and passkeys easier and more secure, users can create groups to share multiple passwords, and everyone in the group can add and edit passwords to keep them up to date. Because they are shared through iCloud Keychain, passwords are always end-to-end encrypted. Additionally, one-time verification codes received in Mail will now auto-fill in Safari, allowing for secure sign-in without leaving the browser.
Lockdown Mode
Lockdown Mode is expanding to provide greater protection for those who may be targeted by paid spyware because of their identity or occupation. New protections include more secure wireless connectivity standards, media handling, media sharing standards, sandboxing, and network security optimizations.
Enabling Lockdown Mode further strengthens the device’s defenses and strictly limits certain functions, quickly reducing the attack surface for those who need additional protection. Additionally, Lockdown Mode will be supported on watchOS.
Other Features Designed with Privacy and Security in Mind
Check makes it easy for users to let friends or family members know they’ve arrived safely at their destination. Once enabled by the user, Check automatically detects when the user has arrived at their destination and will notify selected contacts via Messages. If something unexpected happens while the user is on the go, Check will recognize that the user is not approaching their designated destination and check in with them.
If there is no response, the feature will share useful information, such as the user’s precise location, battery level, cellular signal status, and the last active time their iPhone was used, with the user’s selected contacts. In addition to making it easy for users to get help when needed, Check is designed to maintain privacy and security, so users stay in control by deciding who they share information with, including who they want to share it with and how long they want it to last. Users can end a Check session at any time. Information sent through Check is end-to-end encrypted, so it can only be read by family members or friends they choose, not Apple or anyone else.
With NameDrop, a new experience in AirDrop, users can bring their iPhone close to another iPhone to share contact information with their desired recipients. Users can also choose which contact details they want to share and, most importantly, which information they don’t want to share. Users can also share content like photos or links this way.
Apple Watch users can also use NameDrop by tapping the Share button in the My Card in the Contacts app, or by tapping the My Card watch face complication, then bringing their Apple Watch face-to-face with another Apple Watch. As with all AirDrop experiences, these new features also secure the content being shared with an encrypted connection.
Live Voicemail makes it easy for users to know when to answer a call. When someone calls and starts leaving a message, you’ll see a live transcription of the caller as they speak. If you want to talk to the caller, you can pick up the call at any time. When Silence Unknown Callers is enabled, calls from unknown numbers go directly to Live Voicemail without having to ring.
Calls that are identified as spam by your carrier won’t appear as Live Voicemail and will be immediately declined. This way, you can ignore spam, scams, or calls that might compromise your privacy without missing an important call. Thanks to the power of the Neural Engine, Live Voicemail happens entirely on-device, and this information isn’t shared with Apple.
These features will be coming in a free software update later this year.
No comments
Post a Comment