Apple Changed the Way it Shares Customers’ Data – Here’s How

During the past year, customers have been demanding that tech companies hand over reports on who wanted their personal data, and why. As that demand increased, companies like Apple are working harder to produce data to keep customers happy, and to remain as transparent as possible, according to Tech Crunch.

Apple received over 32,000 demands from customers to see data, which is a nine percent increase since the last reporting period, Tech Crunch says. The company also received over 4,000 requests for account data, including information stored in iCloud, which is a 25 percent increase since the last reporting period.

One of the main reasons for the spike in data requests, Tech Crunch says, is because of a single fraud investigation that took place in China earlier this year.

To keep up with customers’ asks, Tech Crunch said that Apple took a page out of other tech companies’ books. “Apple knew its document-only reports didn’t cut it, and took a leaf from its Silicon Valley neighbors [like Microsoft and Google] and pushed ahead with its own plan to publish its biannual numbers in a way that ordinary people — like its customers — can read and understand.”

Apple has also taken numerous steps to improve its transparency report, which used to be “a seven-page document with only two tables of data.” Specifically, decision makers who have accounts with Apple will see the following changes, and more:

• Apple dedicated a piece of its website to show customers data based on trends, patterns and context over reporting cycles “in a way that’s more in line with how other tech giants report their government data demands,” Tech Crunch says.
• Apple made available CSV files for download, “containing raw data for academics to drill deeper down into the numbers.”
• Apple reworked how national security requests are disclosed, including FBI-issued subpoenas, like national security letters. Tech Crunch says that Apple has expanded its figures into band of 500 requests, which is more in line with what other tech companies are doing for its customers.

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