The US House Committee on Energy and Commerce this week sent a letter a Apple [PDF] Ask about the accuracy of app privacy labels that Apple asked developers to start adding to apps in December.
In the letter, the committee asks Apple about reports suggesting that some app privacy labels offer “misleading and false information.” The request has been sent for a january story of El Washington Post which found more than a dozen apps with inaccurate privacy labels.
Apple asks developers to provide information about all data collected by an application, but the developers themselves submit the details of the privacy label in an honor system, without verification from Apple itself. Apple said it regularly checks the information provided and works with developers to correct inaccuracies, but it is impossible for the company to check each app’s privacy list.
App developers who are audited and have not disclosed specific privacy information may see future app updates rejected or, in some situations, the apps may be removed. Of App store completely if not brought into compliance.
Committee members Frank Pallone and Jan Schakowsky told Apple that a privacy label “does not protect if it is false” in the letter urging Apple to improve privacy labels for applications.
“According to recent reports, app privacy labels can be very misleading or blatantly false. Using software that records data sent to trackers, a reporter found that about a third of the apps reviewed that said they didn’t collect data had inaccurate labels. A privacy label does not protect if it is false. We urge Apple to improve the validity of the privacy labels on its applications to ensure that consumers receive useful information about the data practices of its applications and that these potentially misleading practices do not harm consumers. “
Apple has been asked to provide the following details about its app privacy system:
- Details of the process by which Apple audits privacy information provided by application developers and the frequency with which audits are conducted;
- How many apps audited from the App Privacy Label app have provided inaccurate or misleading information;
- If Apple ensures that the application’s privacy labels are corrected by discovering inaccuracies or misleading information; Y
- Details about Apple’s application policies when an application does not provide accurate privacy information for the application’s privacy label.
The committee asks Apple to submit the requested information by February 23, so Apple has two weeks to write a response.
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