If money is no object, then Apple TV 4K could be right for you. It comes with all the bells and whistles -- that means things like 4K HDR with Dolby Atmos sound. You'll be able to streams from standards like Netflix and Disney+ and rent or buy movies as well. You'll also get access to Apple TV+, Apple Fitness+, Apple Music, and Apple Arcade. Oh, and you can connect the FaceTime app through your iPhone or iPad to FaceTime on your big screen. So much better to see Gramma with. And if you like talking to Siri, just ask Siri to find you something good to watch.
What could happen if something goes wrong?
Apple does a pretty good job with privacy and security as a company. But, like life, hackers find a way! So Apple has had some pretty serious security issues. In 2023, Apple released fixes for three different vulnerabilities that made it possible for bad actors to hack Apple devices. In 2022, they had a security flaw that could allow hackers to take complete control of iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Earlier that year, Apple also gave up data to hackers who forged emergency data requests from law enforcement. Eesh. Back in 2021, another bad security vulnerability could have allowed bad actors to record calls and messages and even turn the device camera and microphone on without the user knowing. The good thing with Apple and security is, they seem to take these security breaches seriously, jump and fix them immediately, and communicate pretty well with users on what they need to do to stay safe. So keep those devices updated, folks!
On the privacy front, Apple does collect data about what you watch, purchase, or download on Apple TV as well as things like name, email address, age, location, device information, contact information. Apple will use this data to offer personalized recommendations for other shows to watch and target ads to you on Apple platforms like in the App Store or Apple News. They do give you the option to opt out of both these forms of data collection, which is great. And Apple says they share some non-personal information with the makers of shows to help them see how their shows are performing and pay out royalties. In the streaming TV world, this is all pretty standard and maybe even a little less scary than other companies like Roku who seem to share (even sell) your data with many more third parties.
And when it comes to AI voice assistants, Siri is a bit more privacy conscious than others like Amazon’s Alexa. Apple says they take special care to make sure your Siri requests aren't associated with you, and those transcripts aren’t subject to human review--anymore. In 2021, Apple made another positive change for your Siri voice requests--many audio requests for things like setting timers or alarms or controlling music are no longer sent over the internet to their servers, instead they are processed directly on your Apple TV. This is better for your privacy.
All in all, yes, Apple is generally better than other Big Tech companies (cough, Meta, cough cough, Amazon, cough Samsung), when it comes to privacy. They seem to do a better job at collecting less data, probably because they aren’t trying to sell as many ads as Google and Facebook -- yet. So when we hear that more ads are coming, that does alert our privacy Spidey Sense a bit. In early 2023, Apple hired a TV advertising executive to “build a video advertising business” for its companion streaming service with (confusingly) the same name. What that will look like, we don’t yet know, but it might be similar to Netflix’s cheaper ad tier – in which case opting out of ad targeting may no longer be an option. For now, we’re keeping an eye on Apple’s ad business ambitions with the hope that their public commitment to privacy will outweigh the need to reap those extra ad dollars.
Besides their burgeoning interest in the ad game, Apple still isn’t perfect. In January 2023, Apple was fined eight million euros by France’s data protection authority because they determined that in 2021, Apple’s iOS 14 didn’t comply with EU privacy requirements. The complaint said its default settings allowed targeted ads from Apple without asking users for consent. Regulators agreed. The thing is, Apple could do better. So it's important to hold them accountable for their privacy promises.
What’s the worst that could happen? Well, this is a good time to remind people that Apple’s privacy policy -- as do almost all the privacy policies we read -- has a clause that says, “We may also disclose information about you where there is a lawful basis for doing so, if we determine that disclosure is reasonably necessary to enforce our terms and conditions or to protect our operations or users, or in the event of a reorganization, merger, or sale.” So, while Apple is pretty good now, there is no guarantee that Apple won’t reorganize their business or change their privacy practices in the future. Then that personal information you trust them with now could become more vulnerable or more valuable. Here’s hoping Apple keeps being one of the better ones out there though. 🤞
Tips to protect yourself
- Adjust privacy settings on Apple TV
- You can say “Hey Siri, stop listening” to turn off speech recognition for a period of time.
- Use your device privacy controls to limit access to your personal information via app (do not give access to your camera, microphone, images and videos).
- Keep your app regularly updated.
- Limit ad tracking via your device (eg on iPhone go to Privacy -> Advertising -> Limit ad tracking) and biggest ad networks (for Google, go to Google account and turn off ad personalization).
- Keep your app regularly updated.
Can it snoop on me?
Camera
Device: No
App: N/A
Microphone
Device: Yes
App: N/A
Tracks location
Device: Yes
App: N/A
What can be used to sign up?
Yes
Phone
No
Third-party account
No
An Apple ID is required to sign up.
What data does the company collect?
Personal
Your Apple ID and related account details, including email address, devices registered, account status, and age, data from which your device could be identified, such as device serial number, or about your device, such as browser type, data such as name, email address, physical address, phone number, or other contact information, data about your billing address and method of payment, such as bank details, credit, debit, or other payment card information, data about purchases of Apple products and services or transactions facilitated by Apple, including purchases on Apple platforms, data used to help identify and prevent fraud, including a device trust score, data about your activity on and use of Apple's offerings, such as app launches within Apple services, including browsing history; search history; product interaction; crash data, performance and other diagnostic data; and other usage data, precise location only to support services such as Find My or where you agree for region-specific services, and coarse location, details including salary, income, and assets information where collected, and information related to Apple-branded financial offerings, government ID Data (In certain jurisdictions, we may ask for a government-issued ID in limited circumstances, including when setting up a wireless account and activating your device, for the purpose of extending commercial credit, managing reservations, or as required by law); information about your usage of the Apple TV app and your account, including the features you use (for example, Up Next or Library), items you search for, your interactions with notifications, content pages you browse or view, information on errors or crashes within the app, and your billing zip code.
Body related
Social
Details such as the content of your communications with Apple, including interactions with customer support and contacts through social media channels.
How does the company use this data?
How can you control your data?
What is the company’s known track record of protecting users’ data?
In July 2023, Apple and Amazon were fined by Spain antitrust watchdog.
In January 2023, Apple was fined €8M in French privacy case.
In 2022, Apple identified and patched serious security vulnerabiiliites, one that could allow hackers take full control of iOS devices.
In 2022, Apple allegedly gave user data to hackers who faked being law enforcement and forged requests for information.
In 2021, Apple had a recent serious spyware security vulnerability called Pegaus that infected iPhones and other Apple devices.
In 2021, a major data leak was reported of 61 million fitness tracker data records, including Apple's Healthkit data, by the third party company GetHealth. In September 2021, a group of security researchers discovered GetHealth had an unsecured database containing over 61 million records related to wearable technology and fitness services. GetHealth accessed health data belonging to wearable device users around the world and leaked it in an non-password protected, unencrypted database. The list contained names, birthdates, weight, height, gender, and geographical location, as well as other medical data, such as blood pressure.
Child Privacy Information
Can this product be used offline?
User-friendly privacy information?
Apple's privacy policies aren't exactly easy to read, but they are better than most.
Links to privacy information
Does this product meet our Minimum Security Standards?
Encryption
Uses encryption in transit and at rest.
Strong password
Security updates
Manages vulnerabilities
Apple has a bug bounty program.
Privacy policy
Does the product use AI?
Some of Apple's AI research can be found at https://machinelearning.apple.com/.
Is this AI untrustworthy?
What kind of decisions does the AI make about you or for you?
Is the company transparent about how the AI works?
Does the user have control over the AI features?
Dive Deeper
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Amazon and Apple fined $218 million by Spain antitrust watchdogCNN Business
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Apple fined €8M in French privacy casePolitico
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Apple says it prioritizes privacy. Experts say gaps remainThe Guardian
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Apple’s Privacy Mythology Doesn’t Match RealityWired
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Apple TV+ is the only streaming service that takes your privacy seriouslyCult of Mac
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Apple security flaw ‘actively exploited’ by hackers to fully control devicesThe Guardian
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Apple and Meta Gave User Data to Hackers Who Used Forged Legal RequestsBloomberg
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Security News This Week: Fake Cops Scammed Apple and Meta to Get User DataWired
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61M Fitbit, Apple Users Had Data Exposed in Wearable Device Data BreachHealth IT Security
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Apple Issues Emergency Security Updates to Close a Spyware FlawThe New York Times
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Apple overhauls Siri to address privacy concerns and improve performanceThe Guardian
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Improving Siri’s privacy protectionsApple
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Apple resumes human reviews of Siri audioAssociated Press
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Apple apologises for allowing workers to listen to Siri recordingsThe Guardian
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