A striking example is Apple Inc.<\/a>, which recently published Tim Cook\u2019s open letter about the new user data policy as well as other privacy and security oriented documents. One of these papers stated<\/a> that since the release of iOS 8, \u201cit\u2019s not technically feasible\u201d for the company to extract any personal data from devices running the newest iOS and give it to any third parties, including law enforcement organizations.<\/p>\n To put it simply, according to the official documents posted on the website, Apple actually got rid of the spare key to your safe, making you the only person who can access its content: on iOS 8 devices, all of your personal data like photos, messages, emails, contacts, notes, etc. is protected by the user\u2019s passcode, which Apple now cannot bypass. This means that the company cannot access the data on your device and therefore cannot transfer it to any one else. Here comes the tricky part: all of this does not necessarily mean that authorities don\u2019t have a way to see what you\u2019re keeping on your iPhone or iPad. But I\u2019ll come back to that a bit later.<\/p>\n There are more security and privacy additions to the new iOS worth discussing. For example, there\u2019s a feature that randomizes MAC addresses, so they can\u2019t be used to persistently track a device by passive observers of Wi-Fi traffic. Additionally, the Always-on VPN option makes corporate IT security guys\u2019 jobs way easier.<\/p>\n #Apple claims that it can\u2019t access your personal data and can\u2019t give it to authorities, but this may not be the whole truth.<\/p>Tweet<\/a><\/blockquote>\n In his message, Tim Cook stated that Apple \u201chas never worked with any government agency from any country to create a backdoor\u201d in any of its products or services, and has never allowed access to Apple\u2019s servers and never will.<\/p>\n The infamous leak of celebrities\u2019 photos<\/a> wasn\u2019t the only reason why Apple decided to emphasize its concerns about user privacy. There is something more important. Of course, you remember Edward Snowden: a bunch of NSA documents that he declassified last year featured a number of large companies including Apple. That story left a pretty notable smudge on the company\u2019s reputation, and Apple had to do something to change that. Now it doesn\u2019t matter if Apple has worked with the NSA or not, it\u2019s now all about if Apple can protect its customers from surveillance. The trend is quite simple these days: if a company doesn\u2019t care enough about users\u2019 privacy and personal data, then something is wrong with that company and it may not be trustworthy. You\u2019re either with users, or against users.<\/p>\n Obviously, Apple is too beloved and too respected to instantly become an enemy to millions of customers, but it doesn\u2019t mean that it should not act as soon as possible. Especially, when the company is about to launch the smart watch and a payment system<\/a>\u2014 two developments that many security experts have concerns about.<\/p>\n Besides some improvements, such as enhanced data protection, there is another, far more significant positive factor to all this. By changing its user data policy, Apple is likely to inspire other companies to move in the same direction, i.e. paying more attention to security and the privacy of their customers. Of course, no company will declare war on the NSA or the authorities, but it may not actually be necessary: all they need to do is make personal data more secure and more difficult to collect or steal.<\/p>\n To answer this question you need to understand two important things. Apple, like any other corporation, will always think about the bottom line first. It will always act within the local laws if breaking them can somehow damage the business. Therefore, if local authorities come to Apple and legally ask for a user\u2019s personal data, the company has a pretty simple choice: obey or experience problems. It\u2019s not a secret that the vast majority of companies choose the first option, and Apple is not likely to be an exception.<\/p>\n This doesn\u2019t mean that Apple lied when it said, \u201cit\u2019s not technically feasible\u201d to transfer personal data to police. It\u2019s really not, but there are some details that are still very important.<\/p>\n The new Apple user data policy looks good, but it won\u2019t stop authorities from getting what they need.<\/p>Tweet<\/a><\/blockquote>\nWhat exactly has Apple done?<\/h3>\n
![\"ios-security-guide-sept-2014-10](\"https:\/\/media.kasperskydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2014\/09\/05084605\/ios-security-guide-sept-2014-10-2.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nWhy did Apple do all this?<\/h3>\n
![\"008](\"https:\/\/media.kasperskydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2014\/09\/05084604\/008-2-225x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nWhat does it mean for customers?<\/h3>\n
What is the catch then?<\/h3>\n