Last week marked Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference, and this year, things were done virtually. The tech conglomerate shared some exciting innovations with attendees, including automatic hand-washing reminders (!!) to be released with Apple watchOS 7. When it comes to privacy, Apple is also making significant changes to how our personal information is shared and used. Here are some of the highlights.

Upgraded Location Controls

A new control within location data, called Approximate Location, allows users to share their general area rather than their exact location. The approximate location is 20 square kilometres in size and gives a centre point circle (typically a government building or major intersection) as the main location. This can be helpful if you want to share what city or town you are in, but not what street you are on.

More Camera and Mic Transparency

Currently, apps can’t access your mic or camera without asking for permission first; now, when granted permission, an indicator will appear on users’ screens to allow for more transparency when they are in use.

Tracking Info Revealed Within All Apps

Now, when users search for app in the app store, a list of privacy practices will also be available, along with information on data used to track you. All apps will be required to obtain user permission before tracking, which includes connecting information collected about you on an app or website owned by one company with information collected separately by other companies for targeted ads, advertising measurement or via data brokers.

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