Apple's annual World Wide Developers Conference is typically when exciting new features and products are announced, so it's certainly a sign of the times when new privacy features make it into the headlines.
The privacy buzz and volume of news coverage that has been generated recently in relation to, for example, Zoom and the various iterations of the contact tracing app show just how far privacy and data protection issues have come in recent years.
Privacy is becoming more important to consumers and tech providers are having to react quickly to show their commitment to protecting it. Being able to see exactly what data is collected about you and where that data goes may make users think twice before downloading an app.
For app developers, it is a good idea to have a privacy spring clean and to ensure that you are complying with your data protection by design and by default obligations as privacy becomes a distinguishing factor for consumers.
Apple is also bringing more awareness of privacy to the App Store with privacy practices displayed from apps, covering what data they collect and which companies it is shared with, before you download them. It is also allowing users to share their approximate rather than exact location with apps and ensuring they ask before tracking you.
