Apple has quietly made a move to better protect your privacy. The company has updated its Legal Process Guidelines that now require a judge’s order for approval, before handing over information about your push notifications to law enforcement.
This brings Apple in line with Google’s policy and makes it harder for officials to access data about how you use apps on your iPhone.
Push notifications are those handy alerts you get on your phone for messages, news, and updates. What many people don’t realize is that these notifications travel through the servers of big companies like Apple and Google.
This change in Apple’s policy comes after concerns raised by Senator Ron Wyden from Oregon. He revealed that officials were asking Apple and Google for data related to push notifications.
In a letter shared by Reuters, Senator Wyden highlighted that this practice granted Apple and Google unique insights into the traffic generated by these apps, positioning them uniquely to facilitate government surveillance of users’ interactions with specific applications.
Following the disclosure, both Apple and Google acknowledged receiving such requests. Apple has since updated its guidelines, replacing the previous mention of data availability “with a subpoena or greater legal process” with a requirement for more robust warrants. Google, in a statement, affirmed that it has consistently mandated judicial approval for the release of this type of information.
While Apple has not issued an official statement regarding this policy shift, Google stated that it has always required judicial approval for the handover of such information.
Senator Wyden commended Apple for aligning its practices with Google, emphasizing that requiring a court order for push notification-related data is a step in the right direction for safeguarding user privacy.